Success in college relies on a variety of foundational skills. Reading and writing skills are important but perhaps not most important. Other skills include the ability to manage self, time, and projects. Add critical thinking, working in teams, communicating with faculty and other university personnel, developing professional networks, and more.
Check out the schedule of skill-building webinars on the DeVry Writing Center's LIVE Events page.
We will soon post many more college success resources on this page. Meantime, be sure to look through the many resources to support your success on other DWC tabs.
College Success is an open-source textbook about everything from thinking to writing in college. Its info inspired many of this page's resources. While it is a bit of a dry read, check out the table of contents. You can find information on just about any area in which students struggle.
While many of us think we can do hard things through sheer will power, or we work to develop discipline and the ability to deny our urges, strong research argues that will power, discipline and even "grit" often don't work well for the average person. Sometimes, avoiding temptations by removing them physically works best.
In this video, Angela Duckworth (Ivy League professor, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance) tells Bates College graduates the simple strategy used by many powerful, successful people: Develop "sanctuary space" through distance, starting with distance from your cell phone.
Watch the video, then check out Duckworth's website, which links many other resources for building character and being successful.
Angela Duckworth at Bates: Push those cell phones away (19-minute video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxVsaNFLEa4
Angela Duckworth's website (many free resources!): https://angeladuckworth.com/
The DeVry Writing Center (DWC) provides writing and communication resources to support students, faculty, colleagues and alumni. It is open to the public, though some resources have restricted access. Resource sharing and adaptation are permitted in line with the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 deed. The DWC is a collaborative effort by the DeVry University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Library, with the support of other departments from Admissions to Alumni Relations.
Share new resources, feedback, or suggestions with the Writing Center Coordinator.
Michael Dufresne, Professor, CoLAS National Faculty - MDufresne@DeVry.edu
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