Welcome to Monroe Community College! I am excited to welcome you to campus or to your online learning environment as you take this COS course. Completing this course is a terrific first-step to achieving your educational and career goals. Throughout this course, you will experience opportunities to make connections with your fellow students and with the college community, and you will develop a knowledge base that will assist you as you move through your pathway here at the College. If you are unsure about which pathway is right for you, Chapter 4: Career Exploration and Pathways, and Chapter 2: Goal Setting will help you to select career areas that interest you most, prepare you for setting goals, and help you monitor your progress toward achieving them.
I am certain that you will find the information and the skills you learn in this class beneficial throughout your coursework. For example, some students discover that it is difficult to manage their time while in college, finding that their responsibilities at home and work pull them one way or another. Chapter 3: Managing Time and Study Space will help you to discover techniques to make time for study, while still addressing your other responsibilities. Another barrier that students sometimes face involves managing finances to stay in college. Chapter 7: Personal and Financial Responsibility includes information about budgeting, paying for college, and setting financial goals—all tools that will help you to stay at MCC and graduate.
Finally, I wish to remind you that, as former First Lady Michelle Obama stated, “Education is a two-way bargain. At the end of the day, the person who has the most say over whether or not a student succeeds is the student him or herself. Ultimately, they are the ones sitting in that classroom. They’re the ones who have to set goals for themselves and work hard to achieve those goals every single day.” This COS course will give you tools to help you to succeed, but you will need to transfer those skills to other coursework for them to be most beneficial. This effort is completely up to you.
Your collegiate experience is largely what you make of it. MCC has the resources and caring personnel ready to help you in your time of need; however, you must take the first steps and the personal responsibility to help yourself. We open the doors for you so that you can make connections and choices that will result in success. I wish you the best and encourage you to engage in all MCC has to offer as you begin or continue your college journey.
