Basic HTML Version
L
EARNING
TO
L
EARN
: B
ECOMING
A
S
ELF
-G
ROWER
183
E
XPERIENCE
7: V
ISIONING
: C
LARIFYING
Y
OUR
F
UTURE
READING
The Student Handbook
Somewhere in the pile of materials you received before even beginning your studies is your Student
Handbook. Every college has one and it contains lots of information about your rights and responsibilities
as a student. Knowledge of its contents may save you money and could certainly keep you out of academic
trouble. For example, reading the section on “academic integrity” could keep you from receiving a failing
grade because of plagiarism. This experience will touch on some of the aspects of college and life at
college, and your class activity should help you to become familiar with your Student Handbook. After
all, it is your single best source of information about your school.
Life Goals and Academic Goals
When friends and family heard you were going to college, they probably asked you what your major
would be. How did you answer this question? Did you already know what you wanted to major in? Or
did you hope to learn more about possible majors and career paths once you’d started college? Are you
planning to follow in the vocational and career footsteps of a parent or mentor? Or have you decided to
explore a different path?
You probably have
some
field of interest in mind; at the very least, you listed something on your application
to college. Whatever you’ve identified as a field of interest, the more you learn about it, the better prepared
you will be to decide whether you’re headed in the right direction.
People of your grandparents’ generation typically had a single career over the course of their lives. But
the world has changed a great deal since then; statistically, you’re likely to have several different careers
during your adult life. How do you prepare to insert yourself into the ever-changing professional world
around you, while still following a career and life path that speaks to your talents and passions?
These are all tough questions and require that you make some important decisions. At their base, they have
everything to do with your life vision. Whatever your current vision for yourself—whether it is cloudy,
crystal-clear, or somewhere in between—you will benefit from some reflection on the direction your life
is taking.
You’ve already started working on your Life Vision and have had some practice with critical reflection.
The prompts and exercises in this experience will help you further develop your life vision especially with
respect to your academic and career goals.
“I can teach anybody how to get what they
want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find
anybody who can tell me what they want.”
—
Mark Twain
Where Am I Headed?
You’ve heard some people talk about their “passions.” Do you have a passion? Is there something that,
no matter how tired you are, gets you out of bed in the morning? Do your friends tell you that your eyes
light up and you get energized when the conversation turns to a certain topic? Your passions will give you
indicators of what your field of interest may be. You will return to the idea of passions and careers when
we get to Experience 15. For now,