1. Take College Seriously – In nearly every case, the students who see college as an opportunity will be the ones who thrive in college. During the college years, students have the opportunity to learn, grow, mature and prepare for the future. When students fail to recognize and take advantage of this opportunity, their survival is far from certain. Few students can find success when they do not use the college years to learn, grow, mature and prepare for the future.

2. Do Your Best – Waiting until the last minute, winging it and begging for forgiveness are not strategies that work well in college. The best results are usually achieved by students who understand the requirements, develop a logical strategy, allow enough time for the work to be done and try to do their absolute best. Uninspired and halfhearted efforts will not impress your Professors.

3. Establish A Schedule – Wise students create and follow a schedule that includes their classes, study time, part-time work, college activities, time for fun, meals and a good nights sleep. There is so much to be done, students who devote too much time to any one area or to the wrong things will decrease their chances for survival. The most successful students understand their capabilities and their limits.

4. Find The Time – Time can either work for you or against you. Therefore, to make time work for you, students should strive to start early and finish early. If you get up early and take early classes, you will also be able to begin researching, reading and studying earlier in the day. Furthermore, when you start your projects and papers as soon as they are assigned, your chances of doing a good job and finishing early are greatly increased. All of this works to help avoid pulling all nighters and suffering from last minute panic attacks. This approach can also enable you to get to bed earlier to get more rest each night.

5. Make Friends – Friends are important. They join in your activities, talk and listen to you and have fun with you. They care about you and are there to pick you up when you are down. Friends want you to succeed. They study with you, help you find answers and offer encouragement. Loners greatly limit the information and support that is available to them.

6. Take Care of Yourself – Your health can affect your performance in college. Since your health affected by many things, students must be mature enough to eat enough of the right things, get enough exercise, get enough rest and avoid the things that can stress them out. Students who ignore their health issues and burn the candle at both ends will burn out.

7. Get Help – At some time during the college years, you will need help. Although there are many areas where help may be beneficial, in most cases, you must ask for that help. Depending on the issue, you can get help from a trusted friend, professor, tutor, parent, advisor, doctor, employer and others. When you need some help, it is wise to ask for it immediately. Problems usually get worse when they are delayed or ignored.

At many colleges, 20 – 30% of each freshman class either drops out or fails out of college before the senior year. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for students to build these seven points into their college survival strategy. Since the financial costs of college are so high, savvy students do everything possible to ensure that they make the most of their college experience.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Although we can all learn five ways, we usually have one or two learning styles that are the most effective for each of us. How do you learn? Learning styles include:

1. Visual Learning – For many, seeing is believing. Many of students prefer this method of learning. Books, pictures, drawings, videos, computer screens, demonstrations and personal observations fall into this category. Books, handouts, articles and research all provide opportunities for students to read about the concept that is being taught. Reading frequently provides the opportunity to go over the material more than one time. That is important.

2. Auditory Learning – Every student attends classes where the Professor lectures about a topic. Presentations, explanations, asking and answering questions and discussions all provide the opportunity to learn with our hearing. Some Professors have the ability to tell stories about the topic being taught. Stories usually make the topic more interesting and easier to remember. Auditory learning is critical to student success.

3. Kinesthetic Learning – Our physical experiences, including our feelings, touch, taste and smell all hep us learn. Many college subjects cannot easily incorporate this type of learning. Therefore, this method is not often purposely used. However, most of us recognize that we can be physically moved (fear, laughter or tears etc.) by powerful emotions, actions, words, images and sounds.

4. Doing – Personally performing a sequence of actions is a great way to learn. We all learn by doing. That is how we learn to ride a bike. Furthermore, practice is a great way to improve a physical skill. Athletes do this all of the time.

5. Teaching – Anyone who teaches, tutors or coaches others will learn more about the subject and the processes being taught. That is because teaching requires knowledge, concentration and clear thinking. When you are having trouble learning a concept, try to teach that concept to someone else. You will either learn the concept or understand where your understanding has broken down.

Visual and auditory learning are the primary learning methods for most of us. In the classroom, students are usually expected to use their listening skills to absorb the information that is being communicated. However, some students learn best when they see how something is done. Demonstrations and examples can help with that.

When College Professors want students to understand a difficult concept, they come at it from more than one direction and use a variety of teaching styles. First they thoroughly discuss the topic in class and respond to questions. Whenever possible, they find a way to demonstrate the concept, so students can see it. Then they have students read about the concept. The best Professors also ask students to explain or demonstrate the concept to others, ask and answer questions about it, provide examples, show pictures, use memorable quotes, bring in experts or visitors who have first hand experience and tell interesting or humorous stories. They know that using multiple approaches will greatly enhance the learning process.

Of course, some topics do dot easily lend themselves to multiple teaching/learning styles. That may cause a Professor to use fewer teaching techniques or even utilize a single style that is comfortable for him/her but not good for most students. That will cause the Professor and his/her students to be frustrated and out of sync. That will also make it difficult for students to learn. Fortunately, that does not happen often.

Importantly, the most determined students do not give up. They reread the difficult concept over and over again, seek out a new information sources, discuss the issue with friends who may understand it or ask for extra help from the Professor or an upper class student. Additionally, they try to find someone who can explain the concept using a teaching style that is compatible with their own learning style.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

1. The job you land, good or bad, is likely to be the one you have earned.

- Grades
- Campus and community activities
- Work experience
- Accomplishments
- Examples of excellence
- Recommendations
- References

2. When you graduate, you will have more expenses than you have money.

- A room or apartment
- Utilities
- Food
- Your car or transportation
- Insurance – Automobile & Medical, etc.
- Clothing
- Phone, internet and TV
- Banking
- Credit Card payments
- College loans
- Entertainment and leisure activities

3. Your employer expects you to perform at a high level.

- The volume you produce
- The quality of your work
- Your relationship with your supervisor
- Your ability to get along with other employees
- Your attendance and lateness record
- Your decision making and problem solving skills
- Your attitude at work
- Your willingness to accept responsibility

4. You will always be expected to act in the best interests of your employer.

- Tell the truth
- Admit your mistakes and fix them
- Speak well of your supervisor and employer
- Go the extra mile when needed
- Jump in to help other employees
- Suggest improvements
- When something needs to be done, take action on your own
- Anticipate and prevent problems
- Perform to the best of your ability

5. You are the only one who believes that you are “entitled” to things.

- You must earn whatever you get
- You will be judged on your performance and your results
- Your words, actions, attitude and body language tell others who you are
- When you believe that you are entitled to something, your are in trouble
- For the most part, you will get what you deserve

“You never find yourself until you face the truth.” — Pearl Bailey

College is your opportunity to move from high school to the world of self-sufficiency. If that goal includes a good job, one with a respected employer, one that pays well, one that has career potential, then you will have to earn it through your hard work and performance in college. Opportunities are just that. You can either take advantage of them or let them slip through your fingers. For you, which one will it be?

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Few people can be happy when they are not being true to themselves. And so it follows, when you are not true to yourself, you are true to no one else. Therefore, to be happy and reach your full potential, you must dream your own dreams, be who you really are, go where you want to go and do the things that will take you to your own goals.

This above all:
To Thine Own Self Be True,
and it must follow, as the night the day,
thou canst not then be false to any man.

– William Shakespeare

All of that does not mean that you should be irresponsible or reckless. It simply means that you have the opportunity to discover your capabilities, strengths and direction, while you are in college. Discovery takes place when you decide to get involved with the activities that are available to you. You can:

- Take interesting electives
- Join clubs
- Participate in campus activities
- Find work in an area of interest
- Volunteer in the local community
- Try a new leisure activity
- Listen to the opinions of others
- Take on a new responsibility
- Fight for a cause

Discovery usually requires that you get out of your comfort zone. You may want to:

- View a very old silent film
- Attend a free lecture
- Read Shakespeare
- Tell someone that you admire their work
- Sit with a different table of people for lunch
- Volunteer for a small part in a play
- Write a letter to someone you love
- Take a public speaking class
- Attend a religious service with a friend of a different religion
- Prepare or serve meals at a place of your choice
- Work on a farm for a few days
- Hike across your county and back with a couple of friends
- Sleep on the beach overnight with your friends
- Look up at the stars for several hours
- Go fishing
- Help paint a house
- Go behind the scenes at a circus, zoo, aquarium or theme park
- Thank a Service Member
- Visit an impoverished neighborhood or town
- Donate blood
- Serve as an extra in a movie or stage production

When you get involved with these activities, you will have a chance to:

- Identify your values
- Discover your beliefs
- Develop a new skill
- Discover your own needs and wants
- Experience new feelings
- Find happiness
- Build self-confidence
- Find your voice
- Uncover other opportunities
- Meet new people
- Learn something new
- Discover your passion

College is where you can cast off your illusions and discover many truths about yourself. It is important for you to know who you are today, so you can become the person you are meant to be tomorrow. When you do not understand who you are, where you are and where you should be going, it is difficult to find happiness and success.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

In college, sources of stress can include:

1. People – Family members, boy/girlfriends, professors, employers, dorm mates and others can all cause stress when conflicts arise.

2. Deadlines, Workload and Difficult Assignments – It is easy to feel overwhelmed when there are too many difficult things to do and not enough time to do them. Consistently long hours can cause stress.

3. Money & Job Issues – Many students go through college using money they have borrowed and with the money they earn from part-time and summer jobs. When unexpected expenses pop up or when an income source is interrupted or stops, things can get complicated and stressful.

4. Loneliness / Isolation – Stress can occur when students get homesick and miss their families and old friends. Others fail to make friends at college and feel lonely or isolated.

5. The Environment – Dorm living can mean compromises, cramped quarters, shared bathrooms, bright lights, noise, little privacy and messy conditions. All of this can be stressful.

6. Trauma – When students have been in an accident or are assaulted, raped, harassed or in some way harmed, they will be stressed.

7. Health Issues – Students who are physically ill or psychologically injured, often are already or will soon become stressed and depressed. Signals from your body can include can include nervousness, headaches, eye strain, upset stomachs, tears and back pain.

Coping mechanisms include:

1. Physical Activity – Since stress usually manifests itself in the body, physical activity can help to relieve the problem. Forms of activity include: Exercise, Walking, Jogging, Sports of all kinds, Calisthenics, Dancing, Rope Skipping, Ping Pong, Yoga, Deep Breathing, A Massage, Singing, Stretching, Squeeze Toys, Twisting a Towel, Screaming and Laughing.

2. Food & Beverages – Avoid caffeine and sugar. Eat a healthy diet including fruit and vegetables. Recognize that carbohydrates can relieve stress but add weight. Consider Popcorn and Pretzels (Low-fat, Hi-Carb foods).

3. Establish Schedules and Routines – Go to sleep at the same time each night. Get 7 or 8 hours of sleep during the week. Get up at the same time each morning. Eat a healthy breakfast. Define you study times.

4. Preparation – Gather the tools and do the research before you get started. Understand what is needed. When you are prepared, there is little reason to be stressed. Break large projects into a series of small projects. Identify the critical parts and do them first. Get help with the things you do not understand. When you get tired of working on one segment, switch to another segment for a while.

5. Your Attitude – Consider meditation and use visualization for being in a peaceful place and being successful in what you are about to do. Create a few personal incentives and rewards for achieving a milestone and accomplishing the goal. Relaxing music can also help. Keep some flowers in your room. Play with a pet. View your favorite comedy movie. Spend time with an upbeat friend. All of these things can improve your attitude.

6. Think Prevention – Anticipate and prevent problems. Start and finish things early. Set priorities. Allocate enough time. Build in a cushion for the unexpected. Get help when it is needed. Fight procrastination. Take periodic breaks. Set Limits. Say “no” to the unimportant things. Avoid the last minute rush. Strive for a balance. Learn the principles of time management. Use a calendar, a To-Do List and a planner.

When you recognize and understand the causes of your stress, it is easier to develop a plan to prevent as many as possible and deal more effectively with those that remain. However, if you find that stress is severely interfering with your performance, visit the Health Services Office on your campus to get some additional advice.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Are there any college students out there who would not like to attend a college that would double their chances for landing a good job when they graduate? Certainly not many. Now, every college can do exactly that.

Bob Roth has created The Job Identification Machine™, a powerful system that was specifically designed to greatly increase the number of employment opportunities available to students. The machine organizes and mobilizes the college community, so as to identify thousands of full-time, part-time and summer jobs for students.

The details of The Job Identification Machine™ are communicated to College Presidents through a two-volume Operator’s Manual that describes the machine and explains how to make it work. The machine is accompanied by The College Student’s Companion, the guidebook that is used by students at participating colleges.

The machine enables Colleges to:

1. Identify large numbers of employment opportunities for students in every major

2. Fully prepare students for their senior year job search

Getting the machine to start up requires strong leadership and effective performance on the part of college leaders. However, with the Operator’s Manual, a talented Operator and a supportive college community, college leaders can get the machine up and running quickly.

Since most college students are not very good at finding and competing for good jobs, it is time for colleges to meet this challenge head on. All it takes is a courageous, proactive leader who is willing to embrace and start up The Job Identification Machine™.

When the machine is performing well:

- Students will have access to many more employment opportunities

- Students will be far better prepared to compete for good paying jobs

- The college will be viewed by students and parents as the more attractive choice

- The college is likely to receive positive media coverage and free publicity

- The college will attract more exceptional students and faculty

- Loyalty to the college will grow

- Alumni contributions will likely increase

College Presidents who would like to have those seven statements come true on their campuses should learn more about The Job Identification Machine™. Additionally, students and parents of students can:

1. Let college presidents know that there is an inexpensive yet powerful system
that can greatly improve the employment outlook for students

2. Ask their college presidents to activate The Job Identification Machine™ for them

Bob Roth,
The “College & Career Success” Coach

When you can’t find a summer job, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Although there are many things that students can do, most of them involve hard work. Unfortunately, for some students, that very fact will turn them off. However, you should know that good jobs don’t fall into your lap. You’ll have to get out there and fight for one.

“Don’t wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself.” — Sara Henderson

If you are determined to find a summer job, you will find one. Try the following:

Chamber of Commerce

Visit (don’t call) the office of the local Chamber of Commerce. 1) Ask if any of their members need help for the summer. Post your availability on their bulletin board or put an ad in their newsletter. 2) Obtain a list of their members. Call each and everyone of them. 3) Ask for the names of other Business and Community organizations in your area. Visit them. Call their members.

Go to Your Religious Institution

Ask the office personnel if they know of any parishioner who may need help. Put an ad in their bulletin. Post your availability on their bulletin board.

The Newspaper

Check the employment ads in your local newspaper on a daily basis. Immediately call any possibilities.

Community College

Visit the Career Center at the local Community College. Ask about jobs that have been posted. Check with the Guidance Office at local High Schools. Contact all possibilities

Network

Make a list of everyone you know. Contact them and ask each person if they know any business owners or business professionals. If yes, get their contact information and call them.

Take a Long Walk

If you have had no success with the above strategies, start walking. Start at one end of the street and stop at every shop, store, gas station, restaurant and business along the way. Ask each one if they need help. Keep going until you have a job.

“Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence,
is the key to unlocking our potential.”

– Winston Churchill

Just like finding success in life, there is no magic associated with finding a summer job. It just takes a little creativity and a lot of hard work.

“Everything degenerates into work.” — Peter Drucker

If you are the type of person who sits at home waiting for success (or a summer job) to find you, you will always be disappointed. However, if you are the person who is determined to succeed and is willing to do anything and everything possible to achieve your goal, you will usually come out on top. So, if you can’t find a summer job, it’s time to rethink your strategy for success. When you are determined to find a summer job, you will find one.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

If a college is to continually move closer to the Vision (produce students who will thrive in the outside world), many factors need to be addressed and monitored. They include the following:

1. The College’s Vision, Mission and Value Statements should accurately represent the core values of the college. These statements should then be used to guide all critical decisions and actions associated with the college.

2. College Leaders, Faculty, Staff Members and All Employees should be expected to fully support the college’s Vision, Mission and Values.

3. The College’s Reward Systems should be tied directly to the Vision, Mission and Value Statements. All college leaders, faculty, staff members and employees should be held accountable for their performance and be rewarded and recognized based on their success in achieving and supporting the college’s vision. Performance, Innovation and Changes that move the college closer to its Vision must be consistently recognized and rewarded.

4. Alumni can support their college and the Vision a variety of ways. Not all graduates can contribute financially. However, all alumni can help current students by coaching, mentoring, guiding, tutoring, inspiring and hiring them or helping them find jobs.

5. College Trustees should support the college’s Vision, Mission and Value Statements by making decisions and acting in ways that enable the college to continually move toward the fulfillment of the Vision. To do this effectively, they must be visible, active and heard.

6. Performance Assessment Instruments should be used to evaluate how well each person’s performance matches up with their job requirements and the college’s Vision, Mission and Values. Everyone must be held accountable for their efforts to support the Vision.

7. College Leaders should:

a. Demonstrate the Courage, Desire, Capability and Determination to achieve
the Vision.

b. Set The Example for others to follow.

c. Immediately deal with employee Behavior That Discourages, Punishes or
Prevents other members of the college community from supporting the Vision.

d. Establish, encourage and lead Events and Traditions that support the college’s
Vision, Mission and Values.

8. Tenure should only be granted to Professors who consistently achieve results that confirm that they are in sync with the college’s Vision, Mission and Values and are acting in the best interests of the college and its students.

9. Employment Requirements for all employment candidates (top to bottom) must include past examples of their performance and commitment to the principles described in the college’s Vision, Mission and Value Statements. College leaders will actively seek Professors, Instructors and Adjuncts who take a genuine interest in the success of their students and take pride in their ability to transfer information to students in a variety of interesting, innovative, inspiring and effective ways.

10. Union Contracts must be carefully negotiated so as not to include provisions that infringe on or restrict the college’s Vision, Mission and Values. College leaders should not agree to anything that limits the college’s ability to pursue and achieve the Vision, Mission and Values or negatively impacts the colleges ability to produce the largest number of students who can thrive in the outside world.

11. Student Organizations of all types (Sororities, Fraternities, Clubs, Teams and Groups, etc.) should be expected to respect, support and work toward the college’s Vision, Mission and Values.

12. Operating Procedures and Processes include instructions, statements and methods that make it easy for everyone in the college community to work toward the Vision, Mission and Values of the college.

13. The Personal Priorities and Goals of College Leaders, Professors, Instructors, Adjuncts, Staff Members, Employees and Students that contradict or interfere with the college’s Vision, Mission and Values should be addressed, prevented, stopped or discouraged and not rewarded or encouraged.

14. Successes That Support The Vision should be publicized and celebrated to recognize, reward and encourage behaviors that move the college closer to the Vision.

15. Adequate and Appropriate Resources should be provided so as to enable the Vision to be actively pursued by members of the college community.

The factors described above must be addressed by college leaders who hope to give their students a brighter future. In fact, colleges that disregard these factors, only address a few of them or choose to maintain the status quo are destined to see a very different future. That future includes gradual institutional stagnation, loss of quality in all areas and students who are neglected and shortchanged.

“It is ironic that so many college leaders
would choose to maintain the status quo or pursue other goals
rather than strive to create an institution that exists to serve its students.”

– Bob Roth

Changes and improvements are difficult, especially at the top of an organization. Only the most courageous and determined leaders can withstand the expected and unexpected challenges and the cries of injustice and outrage. Therefore, there is an important question for members of every college community: “What can you do to help your college better serve its students?”

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

If colleges do not serve students, who are they serving? What is their purpose? Colleges that effectively serve students always listen to and address the legitimate needs and concerns of their students.

To make their purpose clear to employees, students and prospective students, some colleges publish their Vision, Mission and Value statements for all to see. Concerned college leaders authorize statements similar to the ones that follow.

Our Vision: All students will graduate with highly desirable jobs that pay well and have career potential in their fields of interest.

Our Mission: Produce knowledgeable college graduates who have proved that they have the ability to learn, think, adapt, communicate and perform effectively.

Our Values: 1) The college values students who:

- Develop and carry out a comprehensive plan that will lead them to employment
success

- Excel academically in their fields of interest

- Participate in on-campus and off-campus activities so as to accumulate a list of
accomplishments, experiences, examples and stories that will attract and impress employers

2) The college values faculty members, administrative personnel and other
employees who:

- Help to produce knowledgeable college graduates who can prove that they have
the ability to learn, think, adapt, communicate and perform effectively.

- Contribute to student employment success

What are the Vision, Mission and Value statements for your college? Do you and the other campus leaders live those statements or are they regularly ignored?

It takes strong college leaders to publish meaningful statements like these and then hold themselves and their faculty, staff members and employees accountable for continually working toward the Vision. However, that is exactly what students would like to see and hear from their leaders. Great college leaders do not maintain the status quo. They constantly strive to take their colleges and their students to a better place.

“The right leader will find the right opportunity to make things right.” — Bob Roth

Unfortunately, some college leaders have lost their way. These leaders only put their students first when it is convenient or when they are under extreme pressure to do so. That is because it is usually easier and less painful for college leaders to do little or nothing. Although change is necessary for any improvement, some leaders are unwilling to take risks. However, the best college leaders recognize the challenges and still step up to the plate and try to get a hit. They know why their colleges exist.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

- Obtain a good education
- Find ways to reduce their college expenses
- Land a good job when they graduate

1 – Obtain A Good Education – Nearly every college strives for academic excellence. Each college designs courses and hires faculty that can teach and transfer the information and experiences that students can use throughout their lives. However, we all know that the quality of education varies from one college to another. Some are better than others.

Employers tend to recruit given majors based on the reputation of the school, its Professors and the performance of the students who have been hired in the past. Knowledgeable students who perform at a high level represent their college in a way that will help future graduates in that major. Of course, the reverse is also true. The most highly respected employers will recruit only at the best colleges. Are employers visiting your college to recruit students with your major?

College leaders really ought to want to do make certain that students receive the best education possible.

2 – Find Ways To Reduce Their College Expenses – Fewer and fewer students and their families can afford the rapidly escalating costs of a college education. That means that more students are in need of scholarships, awards, grants, work-study opportunities, part-time jobs and tuition reduction programs. Of course, most students also rely on college loans and credit cards. Unfortunately, many students are now leaving college owing more than $25,000, some much more.

Since a good education does not always translate into a good paying job, too many students are being saddled with a long term debt that will be a drag on their standard of living, their hopes and their dreams for many years to come. The thought of making monthly payments of $200, $300 or even more for the next 15 to 25 years is depressing, especially if they are earning far less than they had expected.

College leaders really ought to want to offer students every possible way to reduce their college costs.

3 – Land A Good Job When They Graduate – College students do not attend college strictly for the love of learning. Neither do they hope to live in poverty when they graduate. Most attend with the goal of obtaining a job that has career potential. They need that job to become independent, pay off their loans, raise a family, enjoy life and surround themselves with the things that come with financial success. Therefore, when students do not start off with good paying jobs, they start off behind the eight ball.

Unfortunately, many students do not select their college majors with a full understanding of the typical jobs and starting salaries that are likely to result and have little idea of what their potential employers need and expect. Students must understand that job search preparation is a major part of job hunting success. Without the needed knowledge, experience and practice, unprepared students will lose out to better prepared students.

College leaders really ought to want to help their students do the things that attract the best employers.

The best college leaders help their students accomplish their goals. They listen to their former students, current students, the parents of their students and the employers that hire their students. Only with that feedback can college leaders make changes to address the needs of their students.

College leaders really ought to want to help their students reach their full potential in the world around us. The best leaders take pride in doing exactly that.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach