Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
High school has finally come to a close! Many students have implemented
different learning tactics to get them past high school. Strategies including: cramming
the night before a test, turning in work that was more quantity based than quality, and a
low overall effort to receive a passing grade in high school. However, study habits and
work ethic must be changed because college is vastly different from high school. In
college, students have to battle a new environment and events that they have never
experienced before such as living all by themselves and having classes with more than
one hundred students in them. The big question that incoming freshman ask is what
makes a college student successful. Success in college can be defined in many ways,
but different solutions can occasionally outweigh the others. College students can
achieve success in many ways, but it all depends on the concepts that they apply to
their lives on a daily basis. In my paper, I have compiled different factors that I believed
to be prevalent in my research. The elements that I have chosen are what I think are
significant factors that are needed for college students to be successful. Organization,
Marcel Hunter
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
Sleep and experiencing failure are critical factors that could substantially increase the
The first well-known factor for success is organization. Utilizing all your tools in a
neat and planned out manner can benefit the users so that they can be less stressed,
well planned, and receive more time for themselves. Stress can be relieved or avoided
when one organizes themselves because they are always on top of their work.
Organized students color code their work, Dr. Mariam Adawiah Dzulkifli, with a Ph.D. in
the department of psychology stated that “Color is believed to be the most important
visual experience to human beings.” Dr. Dzulkifli also stated, “ a marketing study has
found that color can increase brand recognition up to 80%." This is because marketers
use color in order to grab the attention of their intended audience. In an educational
setting, using colors to highlight your work and Color code your assignments/notes can
help students preserve information based on the colors activating the portion of your
brain that retains information. All assignments and notes should be color coded
because the user will be able to differentiate their work. Also, Organized students take
time to record all assignments and test dates in an agenda or a planner. This can be
Writing all your work down in one single area is significant because it will have all
the information that leads to an upcoming assignment or test.aslo, the student wouldn't
have to look through different papers to find critical information. Based on past
experiences using an agenda helped me space out the time needed to complete
multiple assignments. Deadlines will never look daunting, unachievable or stressful. The
Marcel Hunter
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
workload of tasks will be minimal when the work is spaced out. Students who manage
their time while using a planner can grant them more time for themselves. They will able
be to get their work done and set some time for themselves including family events,
social events and more. No matter what, unplanned events always seem to creep up
behind most students during the worst times, hindering many students from success. An
organized planner will have space in their schedules just in case a problem were to
arise. Dr. Jeff and Dr. Brian, leading national education experts, are very heavy
advocates of organization. They stated, “It’s a proven fact that by setting clear, specific,
As stated their thoughts about organization lifts the idea that planning ahead is a way to
avoid stress. I lack organization skills which would explain why it's difficult for me to get
assignments done, have time for myself, and I can never accordingly adjust for the
unexpected. Organization will give students that cushion just in case there was an
unplanned situation that could get in the way of work. Without Organization, college
Secondly, sleep is a crucial factor that can determine success. Sleeping is a vital
factor that every student needs to be successful. However, in college, students get a lot
of assignments that can prolong the time that they stay awake. Not just homework,
Clubs, organizations, and social events are all factors that change the number of hours
of sleep students receive. Generally, adults receive less sleep so six or seven hours of
sleep would be considered a good night sleep. The average amount of time needed to
get a good night’s sleep is seven to eight hours of sleep. Getting enough sleep will help
students stay attentive in class, study efficiently, and absorb information correctly and
Marcel Hunter
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
efficiently. Have you ever tried to get work done after staying up late the night before?
Based on my research sleep has been a recurring topic that is very important because
of the consequences that could be a result of unhealthy sleeping habits. A lack of sleep
could affect a student's cognitive skills, memory, and mood. Many people could admit
that when they are sleepy, it is difficult to get work done. I had sleep deprivation on
multiple occasions unaware that the lack of sleep was affecting my cognitive skills.
Australian studies coming from the article “How Sleep Affects Your Brain” stated that
“sleep deprivation can actually cause brain cells to eat parts of the brain’s synapses.”
This is because the brain cells called astrocytes overwork itself and cleans out worn-out
cells resulting in more brain connections getting broken down. In other words, college
students who think they can get more work done by pulling all-nighters will have a
difficult time trying to get work done rather than a student that receives adequate sleep.
Another reason why sleep is so important is that good sleep can assist the brain when
from Dr. Björn Rasch and Jan Born, both heavily knowledgeable about the
fundamentals of sleep, stated “the waking brain is optimized for the acute processing of
external stimuli that involves the encoding of new information and memory retrieval, the
sleeping brain provides optimal conditions for consolidation processes that integrate
newly encoded memory into a long-term store.” Simply to reinstate, when people go to
sleep the brain moves a lot of short-term information into long-term memory. Based on
personal experience I had to create a presentation and then present that information to
the class. The night before I started the presentation I couldn't be productive no matter
what I did. I separated myself from all distractions, and I even left the house so I could
Marcel Hunter
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
be completely focused. However, no matter what I tried I was rendered useless. All I
could do was stare at the screen trying to be creative, but nothing good would come
from my head. My brain was like an engine working off of a low fuel tank. Lastly, a lack
of sleep could significantly affect the mood. During my time at UTOP, my whole sleep
schedule was ruined because of our program. Most students reported that they were
going to bed at 12:00 at the earliest. As for me, I noticed that I was not enjoying myself
during some of the daily activities. I found out that when you don't get an adequate night
of sleep, you are prone to less positive experiences. Amie Gordon, a social-personality
psychologist, said that a lack of sleep encourages a negative mood. This is because of
the increase of the amygdala and the portion of the brain that regulates how it's used.
In other words, without rest, it’s easier to have negative experiences and its harder to
Finally, the final factor that I believe is the most important is experiencing failure.
Shocking right? How could anyone benefit from failure? Failure is believed one of the
best ways for students to learn and grow. When you succeed, students don’t reflect on
their work because it is presumed to be successful. When students fail, they always ask
the question, “Where did I go wrong.” Maya Angelou further elaborates on the subject
by stating “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it
may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you
can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”. The process of learning from our
mistakes retains to our memory so we can avoid the mistake in the future. Failure also
moment. Truman Capote (explain ) states “Failure is the condiment that gives success
Marcel Hunter
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
its flavor.” Capote further describes the feeling as if it were a wonderful taste. Many
huge Innovators such as Steve Jobs and the Nintendo company has become
business Magnate created a legacy being the leader of the apple products that are
widely used across the world. Jobs had multiple failures with his products and “even
ousting its founder during a downturn in 1985” stated by Sujan Patel. The Nintendo
company, a gaming company, known for starting the gaming era, had a very rough start
during its earlier years. Based on Sujan Patel “Nintendo’s first offering, the Famicom
console, had to be recalled after only a few months. Atari’s failure in the mid-1980’s left
the American video game market a mess, and the Nintendo NES barely sold when it
was introduced in 1985.” Even with Nintendo's struggles they didn't give up and
continued to strive for success. As a result, The Nintendo company gained popularity
In my personal experiences, failure has been the main engine that has been a
significant learning tool for me, Whether its homework, social friendships, and
exploration, I’ve experienced failure multiple times. I had times where I would fail
which is a featured part of the song where an individual's role is the main vocal.
Therefore, my trumpet solo set me apart from the rest of the instruments. My first solo
was a disaster because I was nervous to play in front of the whole class. I didn’t use
enough breath support, and my posture was terrible, resulting in me cracking all of my
notes, getting cold stares from my classmates and being flooded with extreme
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
was much louder because a trumpet is good at projecting sound. My failure was
embarrassing, but I learned to use better posture and breath support. At the same time,
I realized that experiencing failure was a useful tool for my confidence. I wouldn't get as
nervous whenever I performed because I was used to playing in front of crowds and I
wasn't afraid to make mistakes because I knew it was never going to be as bad as the
first time. Sometimes I don’t call bad experiences failures. Instead, I would call them
learning experiences that we can use to help better yourself and our learning process.
Overall success can be defined in many ways, and it can indeed be determined
by what individuals would define success. Organization can help students manage
stress, sleep can improve student’s health, and the experience of failure can help
students grow and invoke change. Within all of the discussed topics, each is examples
used by many college students to be successful but what is the best factor for college
success? The answer is not a single one. All of them are very important and are needed
to be successful, but it all depends on the students and what they struggle with and
need to improve on. Other voices are used and explain the importance of their subject
however they don’t ever dismiss or undermine another factor because it is a universal
agreement that multiple factors are needed for success to come forth.