Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is the honor society for community colleges based out of the United States. Community college refers to any small-town school that grants mostly Associate's degrees, although they do sometimes offer more advanced degrees in partnership with larger schools. In order to be admitted, a student must maintain a 3.5 GPA or better. If their GPA drops below 3.5, they are given one semester to bring their grades back up or they are kicked out. PTK has branches across the nation and serves students throughout the world. Simply being a member of PTK says certain things about a student; they are driven to achieve success through honesty, integrity and diligence.
1. Successful students work ahead
Hard work pays off and these students know it. They don't just "do their assignments," they turn in works of art! They put in the time to produce work that is always above average.
2. Successful students form relationships with faculty
These students recognize that it is better to be friends than enemies and this is truer no place more than academia. These students always know their teacher, often by first name, and they know many of the other staff as well.
3. Successful students have the right attitude
The right attitude can make the biggest difference and these students are all about that difference. Teachers know when the student has that "go get 'em" attitude and they are more likely to be amicable. These scholars are teachers' pets for a reason.
4. Successful students are organized
From old-school paper organizers to digital schedules, these students know when stuff is going to be due, is due and was due (they never get to THAT point though). They keep their old work, all of their instructor's communications and anything else they or another student might need in the future.
5. Successful students attend every class
Scheduling is important to these students, this is how they bring their entire persona together. They turn in assignments on time, make it to work, find time to eat and they schedule time for every other important activity.
6. Successful students know how to make time to study
These students know how to study and they know how to do it right. That doesn't mean an all-night cram session either. Instead, they keep up on their study throughout the term and finish early.
7. Successful students utilize ALL of their school's resources
When their books, pencils, paper and other materials are ready for the first day of school, these students are not yet prepared. They have much more to do before they are ready to begin, they have met all their teachers (in person or digitally), the support services and most of the other faculty as well.
8. Successful students have a strategy to complete their work
These students start out the semester with the end in sight. When the term begins they are already on the path to success. They know what days are for studying and what days are for working. It all comes down to a plan and these students have one.
9. Successful students don't treat learning as a chore but as a treat
When we start academia in preschool, learning is fun. Somewhere along the way, many students lose this mentality and begin to think it no longer gives them any benefit. These students don't feel that way. They never lost "that lovin' feeling" and they enjoy every single activity.
10. Successful students know how to set goals
It helps to set goals for both short and long-term; successful students have such goals in mind from the start. Sometimes students just hope to pass the class but these students seek more from their education. Comprehension of the material is key!
11. Successful students have a dedicated study space
Business owners have their offices. Academics need theirs too and these students have their spaces set up with all the bells and whistles. When they need a citation, they have their favorite site bookmarked. When they need a picture to insert into a paper they have their favorite sites for free to use pictures already determined. They always know where to find the resources they will need.
12. Successful students always minimize distractions where they work
The dog has been walked. The leftovers have been stowed in the refrigerator. The television and radio are turned off. Other household members have agreed to leave them to their work. These students know how to prepare a study space to their specifications.
Members of PTK have already received their Associate's degrees when they start their first terms at a university and they are generally labeled as juniors. They have gotten the hard work out of the way by implementing these strategies as early in their academic career as possible and they incorporate them into their personas as successful students. These students breeze through their basic core requirements for the two-year degree and they are set to continue these habits throughout their education. One of the main things taught in these situations is student success, it was a required course during my first semester. There is a book called On Course and it is all about student success. This was our textbook in my First Year Experience course when I first started studying for my Associate's and, unlike most of my textbooks, I chose to keep it. During my time there, I learned many things beyond what was just in the textbooks. The teachers and other faculty members were so helpful to a middle-aged student and they are truly irreplaceable. Academic advisors were constantly on call to aid students in choosing their major, their classes and even their future professors.
