Welcome!

This textbook is provided for students enrolled in Florida International University's SLS 1510 Strategies for Success.

College: the romantic transition period from high school to work. Right? Every fall, as summer comes to an end, the media is flooded with images of 18-year-olds and their parents flocking to college campuses, loaded with personal belongings, ready to move into the dorms. The word “college” tends to make people think of young adults, recently graduated from high school, who will be living in residences on campus, studying with friends, and socializing together on the weekends. Individuals who have found and been accepted to the school that is the perfect fit for them. Let the magic begin.

But this is not everyone's experience, in fact, the student profile for many colleges today is shifting. Young adults with few responsibilities other than college courses are becoming a shrinking demographic on many college campuses. Today’s college classrooms are increasingly becoming infused with students who have responsibilities beyond the classroom walls. Many are first-generation college students whose parents have not attended college and are not providing the students with firsthand information about the inner workings of college. Besides the basic foundational information surrounding college, many students need help understanding the information regarding the contextual aspects of college systems.

What this means is that you and each of your classmates this semester will have a unique story. You will each come to this course from different contexts, with different motivations and interests. But you all have something in common: you have all decided that college is an important next step. 

At the start of a new semester it's helpful to pause and consider your journey. Why is college important to you? What does 'success' look like for you? What are your dreams post-graduation? Are you doing everything you can to make those dreams happen? Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to think deeply about these questions. You will determine every step of the journey you're on, so make these decisions intentionally.