Personal Responsibility In College

Personal Responsibility and College Success The absence of personal responsibility is one of the main causes of academic failure (Hwang, 1995). According to Scheldon and Schatchman (2007), one may use Schlenker’s Triangular Model of Responsibility to identify three possible excuses people make to avoid accepting responsibility: prescription, identity, and events. Devising a plan for success in college is an excellent way to ensure that all of one’s academic goals will be achieved. To be successful in college, students must learn what is expected of the successful student, and strive to meet those guidelines. Personal responsibility encompasses the societal expectations of acceptable behavior placed on all individuals, the effort one puts
forth to meet these standards, and acceptance of blame upon failure to meet these standards (Hwang, 1995). For many people, desire to avoid taking responsibility is very strong; Schlenker’s Triangular Model of Responsibility is based on the idea that people will often work to evade responsibility (Singg and Ader, 2001). In the Triangular Model of Responsibility, it is proposed that there are three possible excuses people make to dodge responsibility: denial of personal obligation, claiming that one had no control over the situation, and claiming that the expectations of the individual were not clear (Sheldon & Schachtman, 2007). An example of denial of personal obligation is a student saying that said obligation was not theirs from the start. An example of claiming that one had no control over a situation could be a student saying their failure was something they could not have avoided. An example of a student claiming that expectations of the individual were unclear would be one saying that their instructor did not tell them that their assignment would be due on a specific date. When a student makes such excuses, the student is not taking responsibility.
A key component to being personally responsible is to acknowledge societal expectations for acceptable behavior. For a college student, this means that one must figure out what is expected of the successful student and work to meet those guidelines. Student orientations and meetings with advisors are an excellent place for college students to learn about what is acceptable behavior at their college or university. At an orientation, students will have an opportunity to become familiar with their school campus and facilities, and will get some information about the policies and procedures of their school. It will be important for the student to take note of facilities that they think might be especially useful to them, such as a tutoring center, library, and financial aid offices. Next a proactive college student would find it beneficial to meet with an academic advisor or admissions counselor to discuss options for potential fields of study and course schedules. An academic advisor or counselor will be able to tell the student which classes they must complete for which degree, the order in which they should take them, the grade point average they should maintain, and give an estimate of time that will need to be devoted to each class. Academic advisors can also give students guidance on where to find help for any of their academic shortcomings.
Another important element of personal responsibility is making a strong effort to meet expected guidelines.
For the college student, this means to have a plan of how to be successful in their academic endeavors. These plans work best if they are very specific and are recorded in a notebook or saved some place that can be referred back to later. The first step in making these plans would be to set an ultimate goal, perhaps to achieve a degree. Next the student should record all of the classes they will need to complete in order to obtain the desired degree. Next the student should make arrangements to transfer existing college credits, and take any necessary entrance and aptitude exams. Upon successful transfer and/or enrollment, the student should register for prerequisite courses and/or program courses. Next the student should tour the school and find where their classes will be located ahead of time. The student should also determine how long it will take to travel to school, and how much time they will need to allow for their commute. Next the student should purchase all necessary materials for their courses, such as office supplies and course books, and plan to bring those materials to class. The student should make a commitment to do all required reading for classes ahead of time and complete all assignments before their due date. The student should arrive to class well rested and ready to learn. The student must be able and willing to take adequate notes during each
and every course lecture. Finally, prosperous students must ask for help to work through any issues that may arise during their academic career.
Academic success is highly dependent on one’s sense of responsibility.
College students that are responsible in academics are likely to obtain their desired degree. Students should strive to meet all requirements of students at their college or university, as well as seek to learn as much as possible during their time as a college student. They should also have a plan for how they plan to do well in college and work hard to meet those goals. Finally, all students should be willing to accept consequences when they have an academic
failure.

References
Hwang, Y Gc (1995). Student apathy, lack of self-responsibility and false self-esteem are failing American schools. Education, 115, 484-490.
Sheldon, K.M., & Schachtman, T.R. (2007, April). Obligations, Internalization, and Excuse Making: Integrating the Triangle Model and Self-Determination Theory. Journal of Personality, 75(2), 360-382. Retrieved from
Singg, S., & Ader, J. A. (2001). Development of the student personal responsibility scale-10. Social Behavior and Personality,29(4), 331. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209912393?accountid=458