December 4, 2014

Dear you lovely new student of college:

Hi! My name is Cheng and I am a 2014-15 pathways student at PCC. I learn a lot as a student of
college from variety of events, peoples video I watched; and even a ting single thing I thought
that was meaningless before, I found out that could be significant after I empathized with it.
Im worry about my grade. This is from a silly-looking cartoon video that I was assigned to
watch at college 1 class. It seems normal enough because any student has the experience to be
worried when their grade is in danger. However, the video is actually about a stupid pig who is
never being serious in during the whole semester and event leave half way of the final exam, and
he is telling his professor that he worry about not passing. Foolish enough? How come a student
could worry yet he never even concern about the class? We judge this pig stupid but if we
ponder more deeply, isnt this story telling us what we have now is cause by what we did?
Similarly, I found this line when I watch a movie second times weeks before, I rather regret after
I have done it than regret because I didnt. What the hell it is joking, he is going to regret
anyway, isnt he? this is what I feel after the first time I watched it. Any obviously, I am
emphasizing the second times I watched because I felt differently. If I am going to fail anyway,
why should I still work hard now? many student ever had this idea seeped into their mind. I
confess, my answers had too many assumptions, but, think about this seriously. Looking at the
scores and shouted, Jesus! I ought to achieve this level if I did work hard, or I was a waste of
time, I still fail. Which one do you prefer? Here comes with another example, a story of a famous

writer who wrote the Madonnas of the Echo Park, Brando Skyhorse. He had come to our campus
once for a speaker event, and he talked about his experience as being such a good writer. He had
faced a situation of whether to left the Stanford University because of his goal of being a writer is
shockingly slapped on face by his professor questioning, does he really know how to write an
essay and advised him to drop out of the university. He chose to persist. Luckily, he succeeded so
some people might say I am talking belated effort. Let me ask, what if he chose the opposite
decision because he had felt the same way with you?
Being successful in college is actually not harder than you imagined. It depends on some
strategies some you might already have and even experienced before. The only things that
necessary are that you have to update them from Ver. High school to become Ver. College. To
complete these kinds of updates, similar to change your old habit, your need three things: a smart
and specific goal, long terms detail methods, and rational motivation over emotional thought. I
learn this approach also from one of the books I read in college 1. The methods I listed above are
simply mean to curve in our brain what specifically we need to change, how specifically we make
the change, and finally, not forcing but making
our brain want to change. College Reader is
the book I learn many useful strategies. Unlike
the textbook, this book teach me concepts and
knowledge using interesting facts, stories and
data, results came out from studies scientists did. Those convincing evidences are the most
successful part of this book and of course, this is why I agreed and absorbed the concepts quickly
and easily.

You must have work with groups earlier in your high school lives. There is not a big deal make
group work more good or efficient. You dont even have to accommodate other members. Just
give your opinions, either agree or disagree. Talk out and discuss with others and negotiate, until
everyone is good with your final answer. Easy enough, you work with the persons you choose to
team with must because youre sharing of commons. I recommend the TLC and references room
in the library when you actually work with
your group because they are the most peaceful
and silent places for group works. Lastly, you
must understand there is nothing about your
own in group work. I used to believe that I am
able to manage everything for group project even though I dont work with other members. Group
works are more than just distribute works in order for single member to handle less. Significantly,
nearly most of the works finished by group are better and more qualified than by individuals. Try
to understand why a group has more than just one person, youre going to experience and come
out with your own answer during your college life.
Sincerely,

JIACHENG TAN
Senior Student at PCC