Many students enter college without a good understanding of what it will take to be successful. It is their job to learn, but they may not fully understand what that entails. They may not realize the degree to which their success requires taking personal responsibility for their own learning. However, students can improve their changes for academic success by practicing Stephen Covey’s first habit of highly successful people, that of being proactive.
Does Stephen Covey’s Book Apply to College Students?
In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey identified the first habit as that of being proactive. Covey did not limit his 7 habits to any particular groups or populations. Therefore, it is fair to assume that Covey would encourage college students to follow his advice.
Many academics would agree with Covey. For example, research was conducted on students who blamed their failures on external causes, things over which they felt they no control (Noel et. al., 1987). The study concluded that by simply changing their mindset and taking control of their learning, these students improved their grades. Further support of this premise can be found in the works of noted community college advocate, Terry O’Banion (1997), who wrote, “The learning college engages learners in the learning process as full partners, assuming primary responsibility for their own choices” (p. 16).
The Mindset of Proactive College Students
Being proactive requires a paradigm shift for many college students, particularly traditional students. Throughout high school, students have been conditioned to do what they are told, follow the rules, and rely on teachers and parents for direction. It is fair to assume that some students failed to develop the knowledge, maturity and confidence to identify and execute helpful proactive behaviors. They may not appreciate the benefits of being proactive and may lack some of the necessary skills. Unfortunately for some of these students, their parents become the proactive ones. These are the helicopter parents who often do more harm than good.
College students who heed Stephen Covey’s advice have a proactive mindset. Based on an understanding of what they can and should do, they take charge of their own education. But taking charge has its constraints and limitations. There are college policies to follow and instructor expectations that must be met. The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr summarized this aspect of being proactive in what has come to be known as the serenity prayer. One popular version reads, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can change, and wisdom to know the difference.” This is an important part of the proactive college student’s mindset. There are some things a student just has to accept.
How College Students Can be Proactive
Stephen Covey (1997) encouraged us to, “become more self-aware regarding our own degree of proactivity” by looking at, “where we focus our time and energy,” (p.81). In other words, people should not reactively focus on their problems and concerns. They should proactively focus on the things they can change. A few examples will illustrate this point.
Proactive college students begin by identifying the rules and regulations with which they must comply. For example, these students may dislike the requirements set forth in an instructor’s syllabus, but it is the instructor’s prerogative to set the rules. Still, proactive students do not hide their concerns, nor do they talk behind an instructor’s back or immediately complain to an administrator. They approach their instructors directly, always in a respectful and non-confrontational manner, to discuss issues with which they take exception. Instructors are always more amenable to student concerns when they are approached directly. This strategy almost always leads to the best outcome.
However, if proactive students are unable to resolve an issue with their instructor they do not let it negatively impact their learning. They accept it and move on. Or, if they honestly believe that the instructor has not dealt fairly with them, then they seek assistance from others, counselors in particular.
Proactive college students are also self-disciplined planners. They identify what it will take for them to succeed in their courses, and they create plans to make that happen. They schedule study time and adhere to their schedules. Proactive student never rationalize that they did not have time to complete an assignment.
And finally, proactive college students come to each and every class prepared, having completed all reading assignments and homework. When they arrive in class, they know where they struggled and they ask questions to help themselves learn. Those who still struggle may work with study partners and take advantage of tutoring. These students never complain that the instructor did not explain the material well. They understand that it is their job to learn.
The Impact of Being a Proactive College Student
College educators know how important it is for students to take responsibility for their own leaning. This involves taking the initiative to do whatever they need to do to succeed. In many ways, this is the essence of what Stephen Covey wrote in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, when he admonished people to be proactive.
Being proactive is one effective way for college students to help themselves get good grades and graduate. There are many ways in which students can and should be proactive. Three of those are by confronting their instructors with their concerns, by creating and executing a study plan, and by coming to each class prepared to ask questions.
References
Noel, Jeffrey G.; Forsyth, Donelson R.; Kelley, Karl N. “Improving the Performance of Failing Students by Overcoming Their Self-Serving Attributional Biases.” Basic & Applied Social Psychology, Mar/Jun 1987.
O’Banion, Terry. Creating More Learning-Centered Community Colleges. League for Innovation in the Community College, 1997.
Paul Hummel - My name is Paul Hummel, and learning has been a life-long pursuit of mine. I began post secondary quest in 1965, and it earned me three ...
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