Journal entries comparing first and second scores

¶ … outer obstacle that stands between me and my success in college is the English language barrier I still struggle with as a Korean student.

Someone besides me who could help me overcome this outer obstacle is a native-speaking student fellow.

How this person could help me is by going through the subjects and lessons with me and help me by explaining them in a simpler language.

An inner obstacle that stands between me and my success in college is procrastination.

Someone besides me who could help me overcome this inner obstacle is a fellow student who is willing to join a group study with me.

How this person could help me is by motivating and reminding me that I should not procrastinate every time she is present.

The most challenging course I am taking in college this semester is my Counseling class.

This course is challenging for me because it pushes me out of my intellectual and emotional comfort zones and forces me to think more critically than I am used to.

9. Someone besides me who could help me overcome this challenge is a fellow student who is succeeding in this class.

10. How this person could help me is by sharing his strategies for success and by motivating me with his own success stories.

2.

I am thinking about asking two or three of my fellow students to join me in a student group. At least, one member must be a native speaker. And at least member must be competent in the Counseling class. This group may be an opportunity for the native speaker and the student who is successful in our Counseling class to share their experiences and help others. They can thus develop their skills in this regard. The rest of us can improve in our English and overcoming the challenges of the Counseling class by learning from our peers. I believe, we will in this manner also motivate each other. When students form a study group, each member tries to be as successful as the other members. Working and studying together is also fun.

In this study group, we may also make a rule that we meet certain times a week at a fixed time and everyone must come prepared. If a member comes to a meeting unprepared, a penalty may apply. Penalties can be fun such as buying an ice cream bar for each member of the group or dancing in front of everyone. This will encourage everyone to come prepared and encourage myself to overcome my tendency to procrastinate. The greater pressure to be in time and the allure of fun that the study group can provide will help me overcome both my language barrier and the tendency to procrastinate. It may not work out as smoothly as planned, but I am positive forming such a group is a step in the right direction for overcoming my challenges.

Journal Entry 32.

First Score

Second Score

Accepting personal responsibility

48

65

Discovering self-motivation

57

72

Mastering self-management

32

48

Employing interdependence

47

52

Gaining self-awareness

49

58

Adopting lifelong learning

39

65

Developing emotional intelligence

45

72

Believing in myself

45

46

2. I have made improvements in every area but I succeeded most in accepting personal responsibility, discovering self-motivation, and developing emotional intelligence. To a lesser extent, I made a significant improvement in mastering self-management although I still need to work hard on it. I always considered myself a personally responsible person but the American culture and the educational system challenged me when I came here. So, I started working in this area and see improvements now. For example, I used to believe that teachers must be more responsible for giving us knowledge but now I believe I myself am more responsible for pursuing it. My classes, especially the Counseling class forced me to try and adopt new methods designed to help me improve my self-management and motivation skills. The class also challenged me on the employment of my emotional intelligence. These exercises were challenging but now give me a greater confidence in all of these areas.