Academic Strategies Course Readings (ENGL 1003)

   Stop.  Whatever you are doing right now, stop for a moment.  Now, take a look around the room and notice the other students sharing the space with you.  While they may not make eye contact with you, you can immediately notice the diverse nature of Tulsa Community College.  There are students still in high school earning college credit, students who work full-time to support a family, and students who you might judge as “older” but have nevertheless chosen to pursue the same academic goals as you.  This is what you need to remember…always.

   No matter your background, no matter your upbringing, no matter the conditions that lead you here, everyone shares one common goal:  to graduate with their college degree and be a better person for it.  This is why you are here, right?  This is the same reason that those sharing the room with you also possess.  We all have that desire to achieve more, to do more, and to be more.  Once you recognize that there truly are no differences here, you can start to understand the importance of teamwork.  And, you will understand how to define a “community.”

    First things first…if this pertains to you (and please be honest with yourself), it is now time to rid yourself of all the “drama” from high school.  College is truly not a place for adversarial relationships or forming the same lunchroom “cliques” as before.  Of course, I do not mean to suggest that you need to be best friends with everyone you meet.  But, what would this hurt?  After all, do you think your overall college experience would be better if you just despised your classmates?  How do you think this attitude would transition to the workplace?  Would you want to spend all day, every day in these conditions?  Of course not.  No one would. 

    Every college student shares the same goals of graduation, but they also can share the same anxieties about school.  This is where “teamwork” can help.  From sharing class notes to forming a small study group, your classmates can provide a crucial element to your success.  Don’t reject it.  Embrace it.  Appreciate it. 

Question For Discussion – Can you develop a list of at least five “situations” at school where it would be important to have support from your fellow classmates?  Why?

Now that we have established how important your fellow students can be, we can also start to reflect on how each of us contribute to the “community” of this college.  In addition, it may be a great time to think about our place in the Tulsa “community” as well.