14A - Halfway Reflection

1.    Some behaviors I have developed to keep up with the requirements of this course are planning ahead to decide when I am going to complete assignments. I have always been a planner, but this class requires extra effort since there are often interviews to conduct, books to read, or other activities that are important to set time aside for before the due date.

2.    I think most college students can relate to having those moments where all you want to do is give up. However, I always remind myself of the value of the education that we are getting. UF is an incredible university, and our experiences here are shaping us into the competent adults that we all hope to be. I don’t think that tenacity is something that can be learned in two months. It is a skill that must be developed and practiced until it becomes a habit. The experience that has most shown me this at UF is the calculus class I had to take for my economics major. Math has never been my strong suit, so I struggled in this class, and I hated it in the moment. But looking back, I can now see how this class taught me to just keep working at it until I feel confident.

3.    The first tip I would offer is to plan ahead. Use a planner, keep to-do lists, and make sure you look at your assignments ahead of time. I personally like to write daily to-do lists every morning so that I have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish that day. The second tip is to hold yourself accountable. This is easier to do if you know other people in the class. If you tell yourself that you are going to do an assignment or a part of it on a certain day then you end up not completing it, make a point to wake up early the next morning and do it. Accountability develops tenacity. The last tip is to have confidence in your abilities and not let yourself make excuses for yourself. This one is more specific to developing a tenacious mindset. If you hold yourself to a higher standard, you will be less likely to waste time procrastinating on assignments.