Are You Carrying the One Thing Top Students Bring to Class?

It's the beginning of a new semester. Opportunities abound and grade books are a blank slate. Every student has the chance to build on past successes or overcome prior struggles.

All is fresh and new!

Having spent many years on university campuses, both as a student and a professor, I'm well aware of the 'fresh and new' feeling. 

I'm also well versed on a common trap many students fall into every semester. The essence of the trap is captured in a quote that is famously credited to Woody Allen:

80% of success is showing up.

There is some good news and bad news about showing up.

Bad news first…

It’s hard to fix unexcused absences, missed homework assignments, or a semester of disnengagement in a moment’s notice:

• Stay out late and decide to sleep in - you can’t turn back time. Yes, you can send the professor an apology note, but the learning was missed and your priorities were noted. (As a side note, more universities are establishing mandatory attendance policies.)
• Fail to complete a homework assignment - you can turn it in late. True, you may get partial credit, but your lack of organization suggests that the class really doesn't mean that much to you.
• Disengage over a point of contention (e.g., assignment grade, lecture discussion, instructor idiosyncrasy, etc.) - your lack of interaction will only hurt you. (You are far better off to address your concerns verse stewing on them.) 

Now for the good news…

If you define showing up only by these three conditions (present, homework done, and not burying ill feelings), you’ve arguably left out a big piece of the showing up equation. In fact, it is the part that left unchecked will erode the value of the other three pieces. It is also the component that, if genuine and appropriate, has the potential to make up for some deficiencies in the other areas. Most importantly, you can chose to change this thing in an instant.

So, what is this component that the best students bring to every class?

The right attitude about the subject, the class, and the experience...

Stay with me for a moment.

Your attitude really matters. Professors (at least most of them) are people too. They care greatly about the topic they are teaching, are concerned about the students in the room, and want the class to be a great experience.

Let's make this about you...

Think about the classes you attended last semester. In particular, consider the class you enjoyed the most and the one you liked the least. Now, put yourself in the shoes of your professors. 

(Seriously, do it.) 

Now, answer these questions:

• What did your professors see when they looked at you? Were you engaged or disinterested?
• How did you behave? Were you packing up your belongings five minutes for the period ended? Did you constantly check your cell phone under the table?
• What attitude did you bring to class? I’ve prepared some possibilities to help jog your memory. 

Here’s a challenge. The next time you are about to walk into a class, Pause, Reflect, and Choose the right attitude. 

You and those around you will appreciate the way you showed up!