Resolving to Read by Heather

Resolving to Read by Heather - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

To me, becoming a better student is devoting more time to my studies and doing everything possible to learn the material in my courses to the best of my abilities. One New Year’s resolution that will help me to become a better student is my resolution to do my reading for my classes and take notes on the reading before I attend the lecture for that topic. I believe that reading and taking notes on the content before it is presented in lecture will help me become a better student because it will help me get more out of my lectures, it will help me build study skills, and it will better prepare me for my exams.

Each of my lectures assigns reading that addresses the content that will be covered in the next lecture. This reading includes scientific papers, sections from the textbooks, and sometimes even practice problems in classes such as chemistry or calculus. My resolution to complete the readings and take notes before each lecture will allow me to see the content before I arrive in class and gives me the opportunity to write down questions I might want to ask in lecture. This preparation will make it easier for me to understand what is being discussed in lecture as well as build a better understanding of the material as a whole. Seeing the course content presented in multiple ways, through the lectures and the reading materials, will help me develop a deeper understanding of what is being presented.

I believe that holding this resolution will make me a better student because I will be practicing important studying skills and I will be investing more time and effort towards understanding the content in my classes, both of which will help me become a better student. One of my goals with this resolution is to practice studying for my classes throughout the semester so that when I go to review before an exam I know what the best way for me to review the material is and I can do well on the exams. The extra time I am investing in studying for my courses will show what study techniques work and which ones do not and this will help me develop as a student so that in the future I can use the techniques that work best for me.

Keeping this resolution and becoming a better student are important to me and I am confident that I will be able to follow through on my resolution. I have already started doing all the readings before class and it is fulfilling to be prepared for class and to get a deeper grasp of the topics that I am learning. I believe that this resolution will enable me to reach my full potential as a student and will set me up for success in my future education and careers.