THREE BIG CHALLENGES RELATED TO COLLEGE SUCCESS
This page presents a method for looking at how clear you are about your goal in college, your
preparedness for college, and your ability to support yourself to achieve success in college. The
method is called the “0-‐100% Circle of Development,” and was developed by Dr. Mario Rivas,
professor of Psychology and Academic Senate President at Merritt College.
The “0-‐100% Circle of Development” is very simple to use. First, the circle has 8 sections or “slices”
that relate to important skills/knowledge you need to have about both you and the process of
successfully attending college. Each section allows you to assess where you are in skill/knowledge
using the 0-‐100% scale and each section also allows you to identify what level of skill you need or
want to develop in order to persist and be successful in college.
The 8 sections are the following
:
1.)
Basic Skills
(which includes reading, writing, speaking,
mathematics, and critical thinking); 2.)
Study Skills
(note taking, time management, organization,
etc.); 3.)
Educational/Career Goal
; 4.) ability to maintain
Self-‐Support/Self-‐Esteem
during the difficult
challenges of college; 5.) ability to reach out and get
Support From Others
in order to be effective in
college; 6.) ability to maintain good
Physical Health
; 7.)
General Education Knowledge
; 8.)
Specific
Major Knowledge.
To use the “0-‐100 % Circle of Development,” simply enter a number in each section between where
you see yourself at present and where you want to move to as you move through college so as to
achieve the skill and confidence you need to create success for yourself at Merritt College and in your
future academic and career endeavors. Then please use Merritt College as your “environment of
support” to develop into exactly the effective and successful person you want and deserve to be!!!!!
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