“If you don’t know where you’re going, anywhere you end up will seem just fine.”

In order to succeed academically at any institution, you need to make a personal plan which includes time management, proper study skills, utilization of all pertinent academic resources, and most importantly– self awareness and confidence.

When you were in high school, you knew you were on top of your game. Even when you waited until the last minute to write that paper or complete a homework assignment, you were confident in your academic talents and gifts. Self-confidence and awareness are key, but in order to fully develop these, you need to be keenly conscious of what’s going on - what’s working for you and what’s working against you. In a nutshell, this means that you have to know where you’re from and where you’re at.

Penn wastes little time getting in your head. In fact, you may have been nervous before you set your first foot on campus based on the myths and stories about such a prestigious Ivy League institution. Going from high school to college is a big enough challenge, but on top of that, you’re going to one of the top schools in the country. Should there be pressure? Yes, understandably so. Should you begin to doubt yourself? No! If you do, you’ll already be two steps behind the game.

Freshman year is full of adjustments and changes- becoming use to a new schedule and your independent lifestyle, meeting new people, figuring out which organizations to join, meeting that special someone, meeting another special someone and going through the drama of breaking up with  the first special someone, and on down the line. This is really not the best time for you to be serious about your schoolwork. Well guess what? You have two options - manage your life or let life manage you.

You only get one freshman year. Freshman year is your one and only chance to put the tightest GPA up on the board. It won’t matter much if you all of sudden see the light your senior year and bust a 3.5. One good semester will be absorbed by six average or sub-par semesters faster than you can blink an eye. This is not to say that if you start out badly, you should continue on that course. Not at all. In fact, making the effort to turn your academic life around will open more doors then simply giving up. But it’s even better to start out on top and stay on top. Freshman year is your time to do this.

This is a lot of pressure, I know. You’re new on the scene, and you have to hit up every party and “find yourself.” Beside, you’ve just escaped parental supervision, and this is your time to do your thing, by your own rules. Rest assured, you can have the best of both worlds - a solid GPA and vibrant social life. The key is to focus. Know what you want and believe that you can get it. Repeat, know what you want and believe that you can get it.

Regardless of what year you’re in, the first and most important study skill has nothing to do with studying, but rather self-confidence. According to Cynthia and Drew Johnson, authors of Kaplan Learning Power, 95 % of school success depends on motivation, time management, and confidence. Does this mean that you can succeed by attending zero classes, turning in late homework, cramming for exams, but believing with 95% of your mind, heart, and soul that you will get an A? No. But what this fact does translate into is this: an unconfident student may study longer (sometimes much longer) than a confident student and not do as well. Unconfident students will feel uncertain about their grasp of course material, exam preparation strategies, and study tactics but more often than not never adjust them. And sadly, an unconfident student may be so insecure about themselves and their skills that they will not seek help. Confident students will be secure enough to do thorough self-analysis of their study skills, improve weaknesses, and use all of the resources available to them. A confident student will master the tricks of the trade and be self-aware that they have mastered these aspects, thus reaffirming their confidence.

Notice in the above paragraph I never compared a “smart student” with a “less smart student” or “dumb student.” Intellectual capacities have very little to do with anything at this level. You are all very intelligent. You must always believe this and never let any circumstances convince you of anything otherwise. This is the key to becoming a confident student.

Although you are in an institution, you must hold on to that arrogance that you had in high school that profound belief in your abilities and ensuing expectation for success. Many of you come here no longer expecting to receive A’s because “Penn is so hard.” You’ve told yourself that it’s too hard before you’ve even tried, and nine times of ten this type of negative affirmation will manifest into poor study strategies and undesirable results. Penn is not too hard. If it were, you wouldn’t be here. There’s no need to feel that you have to prove that you should be here. You’ve come from greatness, so keep doing what you’ve been doing, and expect nothing less than success. Yes, you’re operating under a new set of rules, so learn them, and learn them quickly so that you can stay on top.