Online 6
What is a Master Student?
When I hear the phrase “Master Student,” I envision a character with a text book in one hand and a sword
in the other. A fearless being who slays his way through educational obstacles and eats difficult courses
for breakfast! What I initially thought and what I came to learn about becoming a “Master Student,”
weren’t that far off from one another. Through the text of Dave Ellis’s Becoming a Master Student, I have
learned that being a master student isn’t necessarily about being a super hero of college courses. It is,
however, about honing your abilities, or ‘powers’ so to speak. For instance, a Master Student is about
being self-aware, being willing to take risks, and being downright courageous!
Before taking this course, I had no idea what being self-aware truly entailed. I mean, does making sure
I’m wearing matching socks count? I found out right away in Becoming a Master Student that being selfaware isn’t about being over critical of your sock selection, but being honest about yourself. Being honest
about your strengths and weaknesses is the very first obstacle you have to overcome as a Master
Student. In being honest with myself, I discovered that my two strengths lie in my notes and
communication. My two major weaknesses are time management and memorization, but that’s okay.
Everyone is strong in certain areas, just as they are weak in others; however, it is how you go about using
those strengths and weaknesses that makes you a Master Student. In order to improve upon those
abilities, you have to be willing to take risks.
Let’s be honest, the biggest risk I had taken before this course was eating leftovers from the week prior…
Taking risks was just not my forte. Becoming a Master Student, however, is all about taking risks. I don’t
mean risking food poisoning by eating last week’s leftovers or risking your life trying to become a
superhero. No. What I mean is that you have to be willing to do what it takes to improve your abilities as a
student. For instance, as someone who suffers from severe stage fright, I enrolled in a public speaking
course. I am putting myself out there, at the risk of making myself look like a fool, so that I may overcome
my fear of public speaking. Taking risks can be scary and you may end up making a fool out of yourself,
sure, but you may also discover something about yourself in the process.
At this point you may be asking yourself, “What does courage have to do with being a Master Student?”
Courage is yet another building block to becoming a Master Student. We have all taken courses that we
know are going to be challenging, but are necessary evils. Whether you realize it or not, enrolling for that
course takes a great deal of courage! A Master Student will look at a challenge as an opportunity to
improve oneself. A Master Student has to have the courage to not let a bump in the road discourage him
from his or her goals. Let’s say you just took your midterm and tanked it. Instead of letting the grade get
you down, take this opportunity to self-reflect, ask for help, and try again. Each of those solutions require
a great deal of courage.
In short, being a Master Student isn’t all about going out there with a cape flowing behind you like
Superman. A Master Student is someone who practices self-awareness, is willing to take risks, and is
courageous. I bet by now you’re realizing that you have a Master Student within you that you’ve never
before embraced. Just short of carrying around a sword (which would probably be frowned upon anyway),
you’ve got the metaphorical weapons in order to become a Master Student, we all do!