Cooper Robinson

CMM110

Professor Miller

9/18/22

Lone Wolf Speech

Going into my sophomore year or college, I have had a lot of experience as a student. I have spent days of my life hunched over a book reading about ethics or how the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, until I space out and think about anything else. Needless to say, succeeding in school requires a lot of time, patience, and attention. In my experience I have always struggled in school. I’ve always had an attention span issue that can cause me to miss out on crucial material, which most of us are guilty of. In addition to struggling with topics, I also struggle with organizing myself and the work that I have. Discovering helpful strategies to gain more focus or organize your material seems overrated, but it has always kept me afloat. I understand better than anyone that the drag of academic pressure can cause us all to deflate and become lazy. I mean, I know I still struggle with my grades from time to time but finding new ways like these to innovate will improve our overall academic success.

For as long as I can remember being a student, I have always had a difficult time paying attention. This would inevitably lead to me misunderstanding the assignment and falling behind. I see this as a universal issue. I mean I bet that everyone here can admit they drift off occasionally when they’re better off interpreting the material. Overtime, I’ve definitely improved my ability to remain focused but I still find myself spacing out occasionally. In fact, whenever I reach a state of boredom or feel unmotivated, I usually regress back to my spacey state. I’ve found that finding any way to distract yourself from entering that state can work in your favor. This varies from taking better notes, sitting up straight or repeating whatever information was said to you back in your head. I have found though that the most effective and seemingly obvious solution of all is to become more involved. By making an effort to assert yourself in class, you immediately reduce the chances of straying from the topic. Engagement like this can be done in a variety of ways. Whether you’re asking a question to recall what you missed or adding on to a classmate’s comment, your attempt is contributing to the overall progression of the class. This stronger level of commitment is sure to help you retain information better and improve academic performance.

If you’re anything like me, you can get caught up in the disarray of your busy life and forget a few assignments. This would seem harmless at first but can begin to add up. Whether it’s laziness or lack of communication, you can always afford to be more organized. Strategies like these might include writing notes frequently and the daily use of a planner, which helped improve the way I retain knowledge during class. I never used to use a planner when I was younger which led to me processing information in class and forgetting about it after. Clear and thorough notes act like a net to catch any important knowledge that slips the mind. Therefore, having a better system of organization will allow for a more in depth understanding of your academics and positively reinforce your work. It will also allow you to focus on a variety of topics while still being able to hold onto information to access later.

I understand better than anyone the struggle of going the extra mile for my grades. I mean look at me. I hate presenting, but here I am projecting my work in front of the whole class for the betterment of my academic standings. A well rounded professional mindset is important for whatever path we pursue in the future, but improving the way we interpret and accomplish our academics will set us up for life. In fact, I believe that the more effort we put into our education, the easier it will become to mature our habits which will improve our professional careers in the future. I hope these tricks work in your favor the way they’ve helped me and remember, it’s up to us. You will only go as far as you are willing to take yourself.