Page 57 - Keys to College Success

work out with a friend.” They also are likely to schedule “tech breaks”—specific
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times when they allow themselves to surf the Internet or check Facebook—during
study or work time, rather than leaving the decision open about when to visit social
networking sites.

Risk-Taking

You will find threaded through this text the concept of targeted, productive risk lead-
ing to a desired reward. In everything you approach in college, a reward waits in
exchange for your risk. Here are just a few examples of how to take action, earn
rewards, and build your risk-taking habit for career and life success:

1 ■ Risk looking confused by asking a question in class or in an online class forum,
CHAPTER ■ Risk the time it takes to match or exceed your abilities on a project, for the reward
for the reward of greater understanding.

of increased knowledge and skill (and perhaps an excellent grade).
■ Risk the awkwardness of reaching out to an instructor, for the reward of a rela-
tionship that can deepen your academic experience and perhaps provide career
guidance.
■ Risk the work required to prepare for a test rather than cheating, for the reward
of learning you can use in higher-level courses or in the workplace, as well as the
habit of integrity, which is essential for life success.
■ Risk saying no to a substance or activity for the reward of greater health, even if
it costs you a friend or an affiliation.
As psychologist Angela Duckworth says, “Learning is hard. True, learning is fun,
exhilarating and gratifying—but it is also often daunting, exhausting and sometimes
discouraging.” If you accept this from the start, you will have the best chance to
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approach college as an optimistic learner with a growth mindset, willing to risk effort,
exhaustion, and sometimes discouragement for the extraordinary rewards that educa-
tion can provide.

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