6. They are respectful to the instructor and to classmates at all times. This means that they pay attention during lectures regardless of whether or not the topic being discussed is “interesting” (by staying awake, sitting up, working hard to listen, maintaining at least fairly frequent eye contact, etc.). In addition, they avoid doing anything that will be distracting to others in the room. This includes having running conversations with classmates, having their cell phone ring, text messaging, or doing anything else unrelated to what’s going on in class at that time.
7. They realize that most college classes require several hours per week for homework, review, and other types of studying. With that in mind, they schedule time to study and most often choose to study even with other “more attractive” activities come up. They do this regardless of how they feel at any given time because doing well in school is very important to them.
8.They work hard to follow all college and course rules and directions, written and verbal. This includes NOT being afraid to ask the teacher to repeat/clarify instructions during or after class, reading all written directions carefully, double-checking work for accuracy, etc.
9. They make a major effort to turn in ALL homework assignments on time or early, realizing the problems that can be caused by turning work in late (lost points, lower grade, increased stress, etc.).
10. They seek to learn from their mistakes and treat disappointments (i.e. low grades) as motivation for doing better on future tests and assignments rather than giving up or getting discouraged easily. They talk to their instructors in such cases so they can improve their performance as the semester goes on.