You can be a successful student by taking responsibility for your own success.

How can I do this?

By regulating your own learning.

Managing your learning means?

• Thinking critically: thinking about your own thinking

• Setting goals  

• Asking yourself questions in your learning process

• Working hard to stay focused and motivated

• Taking responsibility for solving your own problems

A lot of different kinds of setbacks may happen while you are studying—just as to everyone in life.

• A financial crisis
• An illness or injury
• A crisis involving family members or loved ones
• Stress related to frequently feeling you do not have enough time
• Stress related to relationship problems

Some things happen that we cannot prevent—such as some kinds of illness, losing one’s job because of a business slowdown, or crises involving family members.

But many other kinds of problems can be prevented or made less likely to occur:

• You can take steps to stay healthy.
• You can take control of your finances and avoid most financial problems common among students.
• You can learn how to build successful social relationships and get along better with your instructors, with other students, and in personal relationships.
• You can learn time management techniques to ensure you use your time effectively for studying.

Not all problems can be avoided. Illness or a financial problem can significantly set one back—especially when you are on a tight schedule and budget. Other problems, such as a social or relationship issue or an academic problem in a certain class, may be more complex and not easily prevented. What then?

Work to resolve the immediate problem:

Stay motivated and focused.

Do not let frustration, anxiety, or other negative emotions make the problem worse than it already is.

Analyse the problem to consider all possible solutions.

An unexpected financial setback does not automatically mean you have to drop out—not when alternatives such as student loans, less expensive living arrangements, or other possible solutions may be available. Failing a midterm exam does not automatically mean you are going to fail the course—not when you make the effort to determine what went wrong, work with your instructor and others on an improved study plan, and use better strategies to prepare for the next test.

Seek help when you need to.

None of us gets through life alone, and it is not a sign of weakness to see an academic advisor or a counsellor if you have a problem.

Developed a plan for resolving the problem and follow through.

If it will take a while before the problem is completely solved, track your progress in smaller steps so that you can see you really are succeeding. Every day will move you one step closer to putting it behind you.

How can I avoid making the same mistakes again?

Be honest with yourself.

How did you contribute to the problem? Sometimes it is obvious: a student who drank heavily at a party the night before a big test failed the exam because he was so hung over he could not think straight. Sometimes the source of the problem is not as obvious but may become clearer the more you think about it. Another student did a lot of partying during the term but studied all day before the big test and was well rested and clearheaded at test time but still did poorly; he may not yet have learned good study skills. Another student has frequent colds and other mild illnesses that keep him from doing his best: how much better would he feel if he ate well, got plenty of exercise, and slept enough every night? If you do not honestly explore the factors that led to the problem, it is more likely to happen again.

Take responsibility for your life and your role in what happens to you.

There are some people who have negative attitudes and are always blaming others, fate, or “the system” for their problems. It is no coincidence that they keep on having problems.

Make a plan.

Make an effective study plan and stick to it!