Personal Responsibility as it Relates to Academic Success
Melissa Gilchrist
University of Phoenix
Personal responsibility can be defined as taking responsibility for one’s actions and accepting the consequences of those actions. Accepting personal responsibility in an academic environment is extremely important because academic success is largely an individual decision. Academic success is largely dictated by the student’s actions. Sinng and Sangeeta (2001) wrote, personal responsibility engages the self-system and increases determination to accomplish prescribed goals.
Each student must come to the understanding that he or she has control over how successful he or she will be in his or her academic career. Students who attribute their achievement to their own ability or effort are more likely to be successful students. (Benham, 1995) Every decision and action has a consequence. If the student chooses to be proactive and consistently complete assignments early and put his or her full effort into each assignment, the consequence will be good grades and a full understanding of the material. If the student chooses to give minimal time and effort to class work, the consequence will be poor grades and the possibility of falling behind in key concepts. It is easy to blame a busy work schedule and family responsibilities for lack of academic motivation. There will always be distractions in life. Often those distractions can be minimized by simply acknowledging the need to prioritize. If a project is due at the end of the week it is a good idea to look ahead and set aside time during a less busy time to do the majority of the work. Time management is very difficult for many people, but it is essential for successful students. When a student has poor time management skills they will almost certainly become overwhelmed and lose focus. Each student must incorporate all of their responsibilities into their daily schedule and prioritize tasks. Understanding personal responsibility has inspired me to become more self-motivated. My plan to succeed in my academic endeavors includes making a to-do list at the beginning of each week. I will include work, family, and school responsibilities so that I can see the big picture. This will give me an idea of which items require a concrete timeline and which are flexible. Knowing this ahead of time will allow me to schedule my time more wisely. I will also communicate with my family, instructors, and classmates to ensure I have all the resources and support I need to be successful. I will not be reluctant to ask for help when necessary. If my support system doesn’t realize I have a problem I will not receive the help I need. It is my responsibility to reach out when I need extra support. No one else can know exactly what I am struggling with unless I am willing to share my challenges. The most important thing I have done to ensure my success is simply decide to succeed. I will not allow myself to make excuses for late or missing assignments. There is no reason an assignment should ever be late. The syllabus for each class is given at the beginning of the class. I receive my work schedule a month in advance. I know my family’s schedule by the beginning of each week. This makes it possible for me to effectively plan each day and week. It is not acceptable for me to give less than my best to each class from beginning to end. I know that by getting out of my own way I will be able to achieve my academic goals. Personal responsibility plays a major role in these actions. It is imperative to acknowledge that each action has a consequence and act accordingly. I will use positive self-talk to remind myself that positive actions lead to positive results. Personal responsibility plays a major role in any student’s success. Each of us must acknowledge that we are in control of our own wins and losses. Each action has a consequence and those consequences affect our successes