Another way of looking at it is that whenever there is not enough time to do everything one plans in college, the first casualty is academic responsibility. Typically, the first year of college is also the first experience that incoming students have ever been completely self-responsible (Lucier, 2008). Very often, with no parents or authority figures to answer to, college freshmen develop irresponsible habits. Magical thinking takes over and the student "plans" to write a paper in two-week, then one week, then four day, then in two days, and then ends up staying awake all night before it is due and requesting an extension that day. My plan is to be responsible with respect to prioritizing my commitments appropriately, managing my time realistically and effectively, and maintaining a general overall sense of purposefulness to help me in both of those respects.
Moral Development
The typical college student spends the first four years of adulthood in an academic institutional environment (Folsom, 2008). That means college students have a responsibility to develop as human beings as well as academics. Ideally, college students should learn fundamental understanding of ethical issues and how to recognize objective values and the respective rights and sensibilities of others (Folsom, 2008). By the time college graduates start their first jobs, they should already have a foundation of self-responsibility in the moral realm and they should be able to recognize and respond appropriately to ethical conflicts that may arise. My plan includes being mindful of the practical implications of the ethical principles that I study in various courses.
Public Image Management and Financial responsibility
Today, college graduates must understand that there is no longer any appreciable difference between public and private life. The Internet is a fantastic convenience but it also preserves a digital record of everything we publish on it. In their interactions with peers online, they must understand that their future prospective employers will probably be checking all of the typical...
My plan is to manage the public image that I create in the virtual medium so that nothing future interviewers may view will undermine my vocational aspirations.
College students must also realize that the first four years of their adult lives is also the period when they will be establishing their lifetime financial record. The most important habit they can develop is simply not to rely on credit except for the most important expenses in life. Meanwhile, those particular expenses (such as government education loans) also demand responsibility. My plan includes working out a payment plan immediately after my graduation and paying off my loan responsibly.
Conclusion
My most important responsibility in college is to be successful in my academic studies and achieve a degree that will be valuable to me in the future. My plan to achieve that goal incorporates prioritizing commitments, managing my time, and maintaining a purposefulness of mind. At the same time, I also hope to develop as a moral person, to develop a respectable public image online, and to practice the basics of financial responsibility.
References
. (2011). 57 Time-Management Hacks for College Students. Accessed 1
April 2012, from:
http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/21/57-time-management-hacks-for-college-students/
Folsom, P. (2008). "Tools and resources for advisors." In Gordon, V.N., Habley, W.R.,
and Grites, T.J. (2008). Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook (2nd
Ed). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gordon, V.N., Habley, W.R., and Grites, T.J. (2008). Academic Advising: A
Comprehensive Handbook (2nd Ed) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lucier, K.L. (2008). "8 Steps for Strong Time Management for College Students
Learning How to Manage Your Time in College Can Be Critical for Your Success." About.com. Accessed 1 April 2012, from:
http://collegelife.about.com/od/academiclife/a/timemanagement.htm
