College Success and Personal Responsibility Essay

Honesty is the key component in personal responsibility because it shows that an individual can be trusted with key information or completion of homework assignments. There is a strong belief that one’s word is their bond, meaning what the individual states or a claim is valid and true. Other essential components to personal responsibility are dependability, positive attitudes, and professional competence. Some people say that an individual’s character holds a higher value in personal responsibility over honesty, dependability, or a positive attitude. Everyone will have a different definition regarding what personal responsibility means to them. I would define personal responsibility as honesty, dependability, a positive attitude in every aspect of my life, and professional competence. To even further define what personal responsibility means to me, I would need to explain what the words â€Å"personal† and â€Å"responsible† mean to me. Personal to me means that my actions and materials belong to me. Some examples of personal materials that belong to me are my laptop computer, my car, and my homework assignments. These are things that I have purchased or gifts that have been given to me, however my homework assignments are papers that I have written and not plagiarized. Some examples of my actions would be going back to school, completing tasks at work and going to the gym. These things may be in dollar value or just everyday activities that I do. To me responsibility to means that I have the ability to answer for my actions, knowledge of the possible consequences I could receive for my negative actions, accolades for the positive. As a child I was always taught cause and effect and how my actions would affect myself and others around me. The possible consequence of my action not to pay my monthly car payment is repossession of my vehicle. The long-term effect of such action is not having my own transportation to get to work, school, the gym, or any other locations that I may need to go to or want to go, as well as car insurance getting canceled. When an individual possesses the key elements of personal responsibility, the individual will succeed in areas such as professionalism and academics. Several years ago I took personal responsibility for granted. In my failure to be honest and dependable with my finances and health, I struggled and suffered greatly. In the early part of 2002, someone asked me, â€Å"Where did I think I would be at in my life 10 years from now†? I responded to them I do not know. Over the next several years I had allowed others to dictate to my finances, my personal belongings, and even my health. Yes, when you do not have a sense of personal responsibility, everything in your life becomes compromised. The first steps in taking responsibility is stop blaming others and accept that it is up to me to do better (â€Å"Taking personal responsibility,† 2011). Once I stopped blaming others for the downfalls in my life and started owning up to my own actions, I was better able to fully understand what personal responsibility was and what I needed to do. Because I took an active stand toward personal responsibility I was able to improve my finances, health, and other aspects of my life. You may be wondering how professional competence relates to personal responsibility. Professional competence is the ability to understand varied concepts and ideas and also be capable to accomplish tasks (whether school assignments or career tasks on the job) with little or no supervision (University of Phoenix, 2012). By applying professional competence in your academics you will exemplify high moral values in completing class assignments. You will show yourself, instructors, and employers that you have taken the time to do your own work to your utmost ability, and that you can develop new ideas on how to solve not only everyday problems but also new problems as well. The rewards that will be acquired in having personal responsibility and college success are unlimited. Some examples of the reward that go with personal responsibility and college success is completion of my degree program, earning a degree, or a plus is earning a degree with honors, and having the ability to apply the knowledge of my degree in my career field. Personal responsibility does not just apply to academic success; it also applies to career and general success. Gaining and maintaining college success is not only grades and attendance, but it does play a huge part in academic success. It also includes participation in class, group, and forum discussions and dedicating yourself to do your very best when completing assignments in an ethical and competent manner. According to the Quick hints, study tips for college success article published by the Miami Times â€Å"Studies show that students who study often and read their textbooks thoroughly earn better grades.† (â€Å"Quick hints, study tips for college success,† 2005). A student, who demonstrates personal responsibility in college, will gain administrative support from the university staff and instructor when it is needed and maybe even letters of recommendation. An employee who demonstrates personal responsibility in their career may receive bonuses for jobs well done, promotions into higher positions, and letters of recommendation. There are several methods I would use to maintain my personal responsibilities in my academic career. My top methods include maintaining a schedule, reading all material, arriving to class and team meetings on time, by seeking help through various resources, completing all work assignments in a timely and honest manner, and asking questions in class on material that I do not understand. Other methods may include â€Å"Create a good learning space, free from distraction; Take notes in text; and Return to the beginning and repeat the process† (â€Å"Quick hints, study tips for college success,† 2005). All these methods when combined, will not only help me in my education but also in my career by improving my knowledge of work given, meeting scheduled deadlines, meetings scheduled for specific times, and working as a trustworthy employee. Personal responsibility is more than honesty; it is dependability, positive attitudes, and professional competence. These factors are not just limited to academic success but also career and personal success in multiple aspects of your life. They can be used as guidelines for various learning and promotions in self and team enrichment. Therefore, personal responsibility has both positive and negative effects to yourself and those around you. By exemplifying high moral values in personal responsibility you will achieve success in everything you do. References Quick hints, study tips for college success. (2005, October). Miami Times, 83(7), 3B. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/363118060?accountid-35812 Taking personal responsibility. (2011, September). The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/dovview/887612423?accountid=35812 University of Phoenix. (2012). Professional Competence. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Gen200-Foundations for General Education and Professional Success website.