Reach

Reach

A Holistic Guide to Success in College and Beyond

Anne-Laurence Nemorin

Copyright © 2022 by Anne-Laurence Christina Nemorin

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, this publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, broadcast, rewritten, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without the prior written permission from the author.

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Edited by: Carla M. Dean, U Can Mark My Word

Table of Contents

Taking Flight

Efficient or Lazy?

What They Don’t Teach You in School

Networking, An Investment in Yourself

Translate Vision into Reality

Experience, the True Source of Knowledge

Balance, a Necessity for Lasting Success

Move Right, Eat Right, Sleep Right, and Feel Right

An Obstacle You Can Overcome

Beyond

Dedications

This book is dedicated to my family and to my village, who selflessly held me up every time I needed it. This is also dedicated to my college freshman self, who often wondered how she would make it through those four years. I’m proud to say that she has already achieved more than she could’ve imagined back then.

1.

Taking Flight

As I perched on the edge of my seat and gazed through the plane window at the canvas of clouds, I couldn’t help but feel a poignant fear creeping in. I was leaving behind the only home I had ever known and the people I loved most in the world to pursue a degree in electrical engineering in the United States. I had a thousand and one questions circling inside my head. Will I enjoy my classes? Will I end up changing my major? Will my peers be competitive or helpful? Will I make any friends? Will I fit in?

I knew this journey would be a completely different experience from any other. After all, I was going from attending a small school with a graduating class totaling 23 to a university with over 40,000 students. I was leaving my family and my loud, chaotic, and bustling country Haiti with its vibrant culture to chase my dream of making a real difference in the world—making electricity more accessible and reliable in less developed countries—starting with my own. I knew achieving this dream would require much hard work and drastic life changes.

The only constant I thought would never change in my life was my performance at school. I had graduated high school at the top of my class, and although I knew reaching that goal in college would be a lot harder, I assumed if I did the work and studied enough, I wouldn’t have any trouble excelling. Little did I know what was in store for me—how radically I would have to change the rules I always abided by. With this new environment came a new handbook for a completely different game.

During those first few months of college, I felt like I had been thrown into this new environment that stripped me of my confidence and identity. School had always been my forte—the thing I was best at doing. No matter the ups or downs in my life, from kindergarten through my senior year of high school, I was always known as the smart girl, and I was proud of that. It had become an integral part of who I was. Yet, when I stepped into those engineering classes and heard my peers talk about the projects they completed in high school and their previous coding classes, I knew things wouldn’t be the same here. I felt like the dumbest person in the room as I listened to their profound and thought-out questions that dove deeper into the topic of discussion, leaving me behind to struggle with the main concepts and ideas. I was at a great disadvantage and unprepared for this new challenge, which brought on a lot of stress and anxiety. I felt like I would have to work ten times harder than my classmates just to break even.

I didn’t choose electrical engineering as my major because I had experience in it or was good at it, but because I wanted to be remembered as someone who fought to improve other people’s lives. During the first semester of my freshman year, I felt like those dreams were suddenly unattainable. I realized my previous approach to learning was flawed; reading and memorizing could no longer be study options. Not only did the amount of information I was responsible for learning grow exponentially, but I found that understanding the material in college required a lot more critical thinking and problem solving than I was accustomed to.

As a freshman, I didn’t know how to study efficiently. Even after spending every waking moment studying, I struggled to get good grades. All I was doing was trying to memorize and cram as much information as possible into my head. I was stressed, sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, and unhappy. Then, one Friday night, as I desperately slouched into my library seat and attempted to concoct yet another text to my friend to cancel plans so I could stay in and study, I decided there had to be a better way. There had to be a way for me to be academically successful and understand the material without having to sacrifice my health and social life. I was determined to figure out how to do just that.

I started to go out of my way to connect with people who had experience thriving in the college education system’s jungle. I found mentors in upperclassmen and recent graduates who were doing well, and I studied how they approached their education and their secrets to success. I did extensive research, focusing on study techniques, cognitive behavior, and psychology. I looked for education experts, soaking up all they had to say about learning and optimizing human behavior to overcome academic hurdles.

This book is a culmination of all that research, along with reflections on my own experience and that of other successful college graduates I interviewed. I was knocked down many times during my journey to graduation, but the points I discuss throughout this book are what transformed me from a terrified and struggling freshman to an electrical engineering graduate in the 94th percentile. Not only was I selected to be the commencement speaker at my graduation ceremony, but I also wound up becoming a successful professional in the renewable energy industry and a founding member of a rising sports technology startup. It was far from easy, but this four-year journey molded me into the person I am today.

I’m going to be honest with you. This token of truth may differ based on the industry you join after graduation, but if your experience is anything like mine, you may end up using a meek 5% of the academic content you learn in college. However, the lessons the experience will teach you are invaluable. I, for one, learned how to think critically and solve problems, be a leader, squirt wisdom out of every experience, prioritize my well-being, balance my professional and personal life, and emphasize my growth above all else. I learned that knowledge is only as valuable as what you do with it, and most importantly, my worth is not a reflection of my academic success.

I credit all my wisdom to the school of failure and experience, from which every individual must inevitably graduate. This book is the creation of a fellow student of life––an attempt to turn scars into stars and a desire to be proactive. American crime writer James Ellroy claims: I learn things late—and only the hard way. My book is a means to shave off a few bumps along your road. By discovering what I did wrong, you can strive to be a bit more right.

Like it was for me, many freshmen get to college without a clue of what to expect or how to guarantee their success. Countless college students struggle alone and far from the proper resources to help them through it. Office hours and tutors are accessible to everyone, but no one teaches you that taking breaks enables you to learn better and retain more information. No one explains that what you feed your body and how you maintain it impacts your brain and learning capacities. We aren’t taught how to leverage our network or be effective leaders. Yet, these things are crucial to your success, and I want to help you understand them and reach your highest potential.

This book encompasses what I learned throughout my experiences in the form of applicable tips so you can have a game plan to reach your own goals. Whether you are a college freshman with absolutely no idea how you’re going to tackle earning the degree ahead, a junior struggling to keep your grades up, a graduate student dreading the years ahead because of your experience in undergrad, or a working young professional, this book can be a handy tool to give you all the techniques, strength, and confidence you need to fulfill your dreams. I was in college only a short while ago, and I didn’t get to where I am today because I was smarter or better prepared for the challenges I faced. I made it here because I decided to approach my college experience from a different angle and consistently worked towards reaching my goals.

In the following chapters, I will break down the big question of how to succeed in college into manageable parts. I will show you how the parts are linked and why you need to work on each part to have a holistic approach to success. I will give you techniques and strategies backed by research and successfully tested methods to study smarter. I will explain why even your study location can impact your success. Also, I will help you stay organized, use your time efficiently and give you tips on navigating the financial aspects of going to college. I will even illustrate how much your success depends on the relationships you build in college. Essentially, I will help you become the best leader you can be.

In this book, you’ll find the best strategies for getting internships, research opportunities, and full time employment. You will learn how taking care of your body, mind, and spirit is key to your success. You’ll find out how I and other college students used these techniques to acquire lasting success. Getting a degree in whatever field you desire while developing and enjoying other areas of your life is absolutely achievable if you break down the process into steps and strategically tackle each step. If you are willing to put in a bit of effort, dedication, and discipline, I guarantee you will achieve quality results and succeed in all areas of your life. But you must put in the effort and follow the guidelines presented in this book. Give yourself one month, watch how things turn around, and start looking up.

Let’s get to work.

2.

Efficient or Lazy?

Hundreds of thousands of people graduate from universities worldwide every year, and many do so with honors. Yet, it’s important to note that it isn’t about who is