How to Be Your Most Successful Self
On the most recent episode of the Steminist podcast, we talked about how to be your most successful self both in college, as a female in engineering, and just in general. This blog post is going to serve as a quick wrap-up in partnership with the podcast, and we hope to have a blog post to follow up on every podcast episode. So if you can’t fit a podcast into your schedule, just prefer to read, or listen to the podcast and want to read about it too (you’re a superstar), then this blog is for you!
Success is an extremely broad term, and I don’t believe it has one single definition. It may have a dictionary definition when googling the word, but when it comes to you, success is personable and customizable. For some people, getting all A’s defines their success. But for many others, just passing the class or learning something new makes them successful. Sometimes just making it through the day or the week can make you feel successful.
An important component to consider when defining your success is making sure you don’t compare yourself to others. As I said before, everyone’s idea of success is specific to them, so just because the person next to you in class is finding all of the material relatively easy and you’re struggling to pass the tests and all you feel like you do is study does not mean that you’re not successful. Success is all about defining your goals, being resourceful, and most importantly, being confident.
When it comes to being resourceful, finding a scheduling/planner system that works best for you is key. Personally, I use Google Calendar and I have a planner that’s all to-do lists, and that is most effective for me. Other people use those big whiteboard planners, and some don’t even need anything and can keep it all organized in their heads. It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as it works for you!
Another component of being resourceful is managing your time. Studying effectively and efficiently is important, so utilize time in between classes to get quick assignments or parts of large assignments done. I know I would much rather spend my weekends or weeknights doing fun things instead of working on assignments I could’ve gotten done throughout the week during my breaks. Don’t let studying consume you, set aside time for clubs, hang out with friends, and watch a movie because having a life outside academics is extremely important.
While this advice may not hold true for everyone, going to class is extremely important. Even if you don’t feel like you’re getting anything out of that class, and self-studying the material is better for you, it’s important to attend class because you never know when your professor is going to hint at the material you should know for an exam. Also, if your professor sees your face at every lecture, they know you’re a dedicated student and are more likely to give you extra help in the class and secrets on how to do well in their class.
Overall, mindset is key! Be kind to yourself, and give yourself some grace if you mess up or don’t get the best grade on an assignment. Being confident is important: think about different empowering moments in your daily life, and try not to dwell on the negative. You got this!
Lots of Love,
Lily :)
