“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -- Aristotle

Congratulations! You have completed the first four weeks of the semester -- 1/4th of your semester. At this point, you should have an idea of what is working and what isn't working for you in terms of your study habits, scheduling, time management, and organization. It is time, then to reflect on that, learn from it, and take control of it. The transition to college is overwhelming for many students, but the best way to ease your own stress level is to take initiative: make choices that help you control your college experience rather than feeling controlled by it. Remember, procrastination increases overall stress levels in the long run even though it feels good in the short term whereas productivity can produce an adrenalin rush and feelings of elation, freedom, completion.

The two blogging assignments for this week as you to reflect on your first four weeks and your own learning experiences. This week's homework, the time study (due Thursday in class) will aid in that process. However, it is not enough to simply analyze the past four weeks; you need to also 1) plan for the coming twelve weeks, 2) learn from your mistakes, 3) set some goals to help you achieve maximum success, and 4) be conscious about how you will meet those goals. The college semester is short. It is important to try to get into a good routine for all of your classes early on and get a little ahead rather than being in a position where you have to catch up after you get your midterm grades. The readings from this week speak to the development of good academic habits and ways to become a solid student in the classroom. But don't be satisfied with "good student" -- always push yourself to set your own challenges: cover new ground, think a little differently, stretch your vision of who you can be.

Blog 5A: Reflecting on Academic Habits

Reflect on your academic progress for the first four weeks. What successes have you had so far? What has been difficult, or harder than you thought it would be? Have you had any failures? Any things you are disappointed about? The readings for this week discuss methods for improving your academic habits in order to become an even more successful college student. What methods have you used that have worked? What methods do you hope to try and implement for the rest of the semester? Many of you have large goals such as "get good grades" or "make the Dean's list" but this week I want to know the smaller goals you will set for yourself, the daily practices you will adapt to better yourself, in order to meet those larger goals. Use the readings as a guideline for what you plan to do from now on in order to advance your own self-improvement.

Blog 5B: Using your Time Wisely

This post should be all about the time study and what you found out about your habits and practices. Reflect on what the study taught you about how you spend your time. Discuss how many hours you spent on doing school work versus how many hours doing other things. Were you able to devote 30-40 hours to doing work outside of class? Also, what sucked up a lot more time than you expected? What did you procrastinate on and how (if you did)? How can you eliminate that procrastination while still allowing for downtime, socializing, etc.? How do you want to plan out your week in order to do a better job at time management and maximize your own productivity? What can you take away from the study and apply to the rest of the semester to come?