Turmoil and economic chaos make achieving educational goals a distant dream. Students are taught to adapt to situations, but a pile up of bad news – tuition increase, fewer class sections, limited employment opportunities – weigh heavily on students and leave them feeling down trodden and uninspired.

Each day, students wrestle with work, families and homework, all at once. It can leave them exhausted and too drained to think about their academic futures.  A college campus provides a perfect laboratory for us to learn the lessons of life.

We have only a few days left of the spring semester.  Graduation is next week, and the excitement is building. We must go beyond the celebrations and examine the lives of the graduating and transferring students as a model of what we need to do to succeed.  How did the graduates cope with all the stresses and still succeed? How did they keep mind and body together? Let us see if their lives would offer us a blue print for the rest of our college careers.

One lesson they are leaving us with is taking stock. This requires us to look around and realize that we are not helpless. It always requires that we take responsibility for the improvement of our current situations. Do you need to improve your study habits and academic performance? Do you need a job because you’re struggling financially? The important message is that there is always a way out.

It is up to us to claim responsibilities for both triumphs and shortcomings. We need to be honest with ourselves as students and as adults. Without this inner honesty, success is difficult to achieve.

Another lesson would be utilizing campus resources. If your difficulty lies in finding a job in Fresno, you are aware that the unemployment rate is 17.4 percent. This, however, does not equate to a helpless situation. This campus offers students a secret weapon to fight this issue. The Employment Resource Center teaches students how to put together resumes and how to conduct themselves in an interview. It allows them to practice their interviewing skills and later links them with real job opportunities around town.

Though the financial burden of college is difficult to surmount, there are other obstacles for students. One of these might be that you are struggling in your classes you should seek help. Have you visited your professors? Have you taken advantage of the free tutorial center? When was the last time you visit the library and did you even know that we have one?

Nearly every subject has an available tutor to help students succeed. That is their purpose. Students should take advantage of this opportunity for success while also taking advantage of their professors’ office hours. The professors will take time during their office hours in order to help you master that concept that might be escaping you.

If after visiting the Employment Resource Center you still need financial help, the Financial  Aid office has advisers available to help you figure out what you qualify for in terms of financial aid. Students are able to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to ease their financial stress when it comes to academic burdens. There many grants out there that help students get to that finish line of graduation.

With your financial burdens somewhat eased, take the time to visit the counseling office to create an academic plan. Creating this plans helps students ensure that they will remain on the right path and staying on the right path happens to be one of the most difficult academic hurdles a student can face. The counseling office is there for students to create a plan that works for them and students should take advantage of this opportunity as soon as possible.

Alongside the counseling center’s services, students should visit the assessment center. Many classes at FCC have pre-requisites or co-requisites and students need to know where they stand right away. Taking the assessment tests allows students a chance to see where they are academically and plan their academics around their strengths and weaknesses. Visiting the assessment center and finding out what you qualify for is the fastest way to create your own path to success.

Another hurdle that students face is the ugly habit of procrastination. The mind set of “it can be done later” hinders the potential progress and success in more ways than one. Create a time frame for your course work and complete it in accordance with your plan. Waiting until the last minute rushes you through your work and you will make unnecessary mistakes. Take your time and plan it out.

Above all else, appreciate your professors’ hard work. Students don’t often realize the hard work that their instructors put into the planning of their courses throughout the year. The faculty and staff of FCC work tirelessly to aid students along their journey of higher education and should be commended for all of their efforts. Without the faculty and staff, there would be no college. The Rampage recognizes the hard work of faculty and staff members and would like to say “Thank you”.

The college can be chaotic, but there are plenty of opportunities to succeed. No one knows this better than the graduating and transferring students of 2012. The Rampage would like to congratulate you and wish you the best of luck for the next steps of your journey. You have worked hard and made it through the setbacks to achieve your goals.

Let your achievements stand as examples for current students to follow. Well done.