Individual Essay: Study Skills for Higher Education, LSC, Oct-Dec 2020

This essay, prepared for the London School of Commerce's Study Skills for Higher Education module, delves into the crucial habits of successful students. The essay begins by introducing the importance of habits in achieving goals, and then focuses on three key habits highlighted in an article: setting goals, practicing self-discipline, and prioritizing self-development. It explains why these habits are essential for student success, emphasizing their role in focus, motivation, and time management. Furthermore, the essay identifies additional vital habits, including effective time management, taking responsibility for actions, active class participation, involvement in extracurricular activities, and networking. Each of these habits is discussed in terms of its significance for overall student development and academic achievement. The essay concludes by reinforcing the importance of these habits in fostering student success and enabling students to achieve their goals.

Study Skills for Higher
Education (Individual
Essay)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Three habits mentioned in the article and their importance for student success....................3
Additional habits that students need and why they are important..........................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
People who are successful in their lives have certain habits which they abide by at all
times. These habits or attributes do not develop overnight, but they put in efforts for the same.
They continue to work on their habits as a part of their daily routine (Jafar, Shabbir and Kousar,
2019). Professionalism is an important attribute of successful people because it helps them in
growing stronger over time. This essay is based on the habits of successful people that can help
transforming the life of people. It includes a description about three habits and a discussion as to
why they are important for student success. Apart from this, there is also an explanation about
additional habits that are needed by students along with their individual importance.
MAIN BODY
Three habits mentioned in the article and their importance for student success
In the given article, there is a discussion about different habits of successful people that
can transform the lives. Three of the habits mentioned in the articles are explained below with
their importance for student success.
Setting Goals – As mentioned in the article, goal setting should be a priority for anyone
who wants to be successful. People who are most successful, define where they want to go and
what they want to achieve clearly. This is because goals and objectives allow an individual to to
monitor themselves and their progress. In order to set goals, one should first decide what they
want to work towards (Maas, 2015). If the goal is big, it should be broken down into small tasks
so that it is easier to work on the same. In order to be successful, students should set goals for
themselves so that they can track their individual performance. Not only this, goals provide a
direction and help in maintaining focus. Also, in order to be able to measure progress, it is
important to set a goal in the first place. Setting goals give a long-term vision as well as
motivation for short-term to the students. When they set a goal, they are encouraged to develop
critical thinking skills along with new techniques to solve problems (The importance of setting
goals for students, 2020). Therefore, it cam be said that when students set goals, they are able to
take account of every step or action that they take.
Great Self Discipline – Self discipline can be defined as the ability to control and
motivate oneself. As for successful people, discipline is one of the strongest attributes for them.
This is because it encourages them to stay focussed and achieve goals. Students require self-

discipline because it helps in achieving goals and objectives by staying focussed and in control
of oneself. Students who are highly self-disciplined, are able to focus on their long-term goals
and thus, make better choices. Students get a sense of being in control of themselves and be able
to not give up. When a student is self-disciplined, they are not distracted easily and know about
their strengths and weaknesses. They have planned goals and objectives as a result of which they
are able to stay focussed. Self discipline is also important for students because then, they are able
to manage their time in a better way (Naether, 2019). Also, any kind of extra stress is relieved
and they are able to perform better academically and achieve better grades. Therefore, it can be
said that self-discipline is one of the most important habits that students should develop in order
to be successful.
Obsessed with Self-Development – Self development or personal development refers to
activities that improve the talent, potential, employability as well as their ability to realize their
dreams. Most people who are successful, are obsessed with self development as it enables them
to have a vision for the future. Self development enables students to help in developing the
vision of their future, which gives them a clear view in regarding that where they see themselves
in the next 5-6 months or a year. Knowing the future target will get it easier to achieve it. Self
development is very important for students who are in college and doing their post graduation as
it help them in achieving their lives target easily (Patterson, 2017). They have to prioritize their
career at first. This is because the particular courses are time consuming and can be stressful as
well and after that job stress and families issues all comes together and make stress in the
students lives. Self development also increase the skills on the individual basis, exclusive
motivation and satisfaction from the work, and reduce the time in choosing the career after the
studies. Self development requires the students to have an open mindset so that they can focus on
achieving their individual goals and objectives.
Additional habits that students need and why they are important
Besides the habits that are discussed above, there are also some additional habits that
students need. Some of these habits are explained below along with an explanation of why they
are important.
Effective Time Management – Time Management can be referred to the process of
planning as well as organizing available time between specific activities. It is one of the
additional habits that are required by students. Good time management helps students to

prioritize their tasks and complete them on time. It also helps in improving the overall efficiency
as well as productivity of the students. There are many benefits of effectively managing time for
students. For instance, it allows them to get more tasks done in less time. Not only this, it also
helps them in feeling more energised. Tasks can be prioritized on the basis of their importance.
Take responsibility for their actions – Another additional habit that students should
have is taking responsibility for their actions (Rojas and et.al., 2020). They should never play the
victim role or blame anyone else. Taking responsibility of own work promotes confidence
among students and learn from their mistakes. Taking responsibility when things go wrong is
very important as it helps in building trust with others. This is beneficial for their future and
helps them on being well-disciplined and completing the assigned tasks on time.
Actively participate in class – Students should actively participate in the different
activities that are held in class. Participation encourages the students to be able to ask the tutor
about any doubts that they might have. It is important because it helps in improving the critical
thinking skills of the students. When students actively participate in the class, they learn
teamwork and how to work in cooperation with each other. Participation can be used in the class
to promote preparation and balance who is doing how much in the class. It also helps in
performing effectively in their academics.
Getting involved in extra-curricular activities – Students who are successful, have a
positive outlook. They value education and know that extra-curricular activities are equally
important for the overall development (Salazar, 2015). They take part in the different activities
that are conducted by the educational institution. As a result, their overall personality is
developed and they are able to perform effectively by achieving high grades. Also, students who
get involved in extra-curricular activities, get an opportunity of meeting new people and develop
social skills. Due to this, their network is enhanced and they get a chance to find a better career
opportunity. It also acts as a great add on the resume of the students and sets them apart from
others.
Networking – Developing an effective network with others helps students in gaining
advice from people who are successful. Students get a lot of opportunities to meet and interact
with new people during their academic years (Stallard, 2019). Networking is an important habit
that students should have because it allows them to keep developing their knowledge as well as
learning about different things. Having a mentor is a great idea and thus, students should not feel

shy in speaking with their seniors or even tutors. The primary purpose of networking for students
is to help them form new relationships with others (Wacker, 2020). And the earlier students start
building their network, the better it is for them in the future.
Therefore, these are some additional habits that students require if they want to be
successful and build an effective career. These habits not only help them succeed, but also
improve their chances of achieving individual goals and objectives.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that successful people have various habits that
help them attain their goals and objectives. These can include setting goals, self discipline and
being obsessed with self development. These habits are also important for students and help
them in performing effectively in their academics. Students who want to be successful in their
lives, need to have effective networking as well as time management skills. Apart from this, they
need to participate in the extra-curricular activities that are held at their educational institution
actively. Besides this, taking responsibility for their actions is another important habit which they
are required to have. As a result, they are able to achieve their individual goals effectively.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Jafar, R. A., Shabbir, A. and Kousar, F., 2019. Impact of Green Practices on Buying Habits in
Pakistan’s Food Sector. Economics. 7(2). pp.19-30.
Maas, J., 2015. Dysfunctional processes underlying unwanted habits: Automatic and controlled
processes in problematic eating behaviour and hair pulling disorder. [Sl: sn].
Naether, F., 2019. New Deities and New Habits. A Companion to Greco‐Roman and Late
Antique Egypt, pp.439-447.
Patterson, T., 2017. Effects of Early-Life Stress on Actions, Habits, and the Neural Systems
Supporting Instrumental Behavior (Doctoral dissertation, UCLA).
Rojas, T. C. and et.al., 2020. Attitudes, motivation and study habits of English language learners
of young students. Centro Sur. 4(2). pp.100-113.
Salazar, I. N. M., 2015. Behavior analysis program to improve habits of physical activity, eating,
and sleeping. Western Michigan University.
Stallard, P., 2019. Think Good, Feel Good: A cognitive behavioural therapy workbook for
children and young people. John Wiley & Sons.
Wacker, M., 2020. History of eating habits, food cultures and traditions in Western Europe. In
Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in Western Europe (pp. 1-17). Academic Press.
Online
The importance of setting goals for students. 2020. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.newtimes.co.rw/lifestyle/importance-setting-goals-students>.