English A project :College Success

Hello my name is Shanel Brown. I am a freshman at El Camino College in Torrance, CA.  I am current majoring in Biology, planning on pursuing my career in Veterinary Medicine.  When in high school I wasn't focused, especially in my 9th and 10th grade years.  I was mainly focused on my friends and not getting the actual point of "What am I doing here".  In my sophomore year of high school, I experienced my first death in the family.  The Death of my Great Grandpa was an eye opener for me, allowing me to see why I was actually in school. My grandpa always told me "stay in those books, and make something out of yourself", and I have since followed those words of wisdom. This allowed me to finally get focused on my grades and actually pay attention to what my teachers were saying in class.  Allowing me to stay on honor roll consistently and letting go of most negativity in my life.  Staying focused on my goal and my success in my future will allow me to stay confident and consistently encourage myself.  In college I am currently taking English A, which is a remedial English class.  This is  due to the fact that I was unfocused in high school.  Now that I am in college I have decided my main focus is school and achieving my goal. In my English A class we have been reading a textbook by the name of  "Ten skills you really need to Succeed in School" by John Langan which  providing you with basic skills to succeed while in school.   From this booked I have learned more on time management and improving memory and your study power to keep you on track in school and life, also to stay successful while in school.

The First skill I've learned from "Ten skills you really need to Succeed in School" was Managing your Time in chapter 4, a much needed step to success in college.  The one thing that stood out to me were the  "Four steps to Time Control". This gives you the basic skills that will allow you stay organized while in school and in life.  Having a calendar where you can layout  when you have test and quizzes, when you have a paper due in a class, and when you have to work.  While in high school I was completely unorganized, to the point where I would forget I had an assignment due and when I had a test and forgot to study for it.  In college I have learned from my mistakes and now keep a planner with due dates also a layout of when I am going to do my assignment so I don't get overwhelmed with my work.  

This Second skill I've learned from "Ten skills you really need to Succeed in School" was Improving your memory and Study power chapter 6.  In high school I had poor study skills. This is because I never knew how to study and organize the material so that I could remember it.  In my 12 grade year of high school I decided I would find the best way for me to study.  I've tried study groups, having someone test me on material, and reading and writing my notes over multiple times.  Doing the following allowed me to remember information and do my best on test: reading and writing over notes multiple times  .In this chapter I have read on the most basic ways to remember information.  This chapter talks about lots of important skills for studying and the number one rule is to be organized. Organization is the most important skill in everyday life, if you're not organized you will never get anything done.  The second rule is to test yourself repeatedly which will allow you to retain more information in the long run.  This skill I have used multiple times when studying for a test in my classes, and it's been successful so far for me personally.  These are basic skills I will take with me outside of school.   

KINDNESS KINDNESS what is KINDNESS

Kindness is a form of respect. Kindness allows you to be yourself. Kindness is a non judgmental feeling that can be spread through something as simple as a hug. Kindness comes in any age, race, size, color, and personality. Kindness is warmth and protection from anything with negative affects. Kindness is gentle, it isn't destructive.  Kindness can be spread through something as simple as a compliment. Be yourself and don't allow negativity to cause you to give up on your dreams. Remember where you come from and where you're headed.

By Shanel Brown