Survey shows our students succeed because they treat college like a full-time job
Monday, June 19, 2017
Kendra Woodstead has a full schedule. She works as a resident assistant, interns at Student Success Programs, exercises in the morning and studies at night. But her full-time job? She’s an NDSU student.
“The payoff may not be as immediate as a regular job, but it’s an investment toward later success,” said Woodstead. “I learned my freshman year to focus on school the same way I would if I was working a typical full-time job.”
NDSU research on student’s academic behaviors and attitudes found that four of five NDSU students, including Woodstead, believe it’s important to approach college as a full-time job. That means they plan to put in the equivalent of a workday attending class and completing assignments. They also take responsibility for their education by communicating with instructors and turning in assignments on time.
Woodstead is the first to say it took some time to adjust to college life, but the organizational habits she’s developed will transfer well as she moves into her career.
Four of five NDSU students believe it’s important to approach college like a full-time job.
After freshman year, she wanted to get more organized and involved in campus life. She color coded her email calendar based on her classes, internship and activities.
“I invested a lot of time in using my planner,” said Woodstead, a senior majoring in management communication. “I write down all the due dates of big assignments.”
Woodstead helped incoming freshmen adjust to college as a Conference, Orientation and Recruitment team member. She reminded students put in extra effort because college is a launching point for careers.
“I think it’s important for students to treat college like a full-time job because in a sense it is,” said Woodstead, who plans to graduate in three years instead of the typical four years. “Some semesters it works better than others, depending on my class schedule, but I really try to focus my energy on getting the most out of my day.”
STEPS to Success
NDSU’s STEPS to Success initiative highlights the actual attitudes and behaviors held by the majority of NDSU students, like Woodstead, and gives tips on how to achieve success in college.
The information is based on research. The STEPS to Success team gathered information from a large sample of NDSU undergraduates in spring 2016, asking both about their own academic behaviors and attitudes and their perceptions about other students’ academic behaviors and attitudes.
