Thirty-Seven High-Risk Behaviors
that can easily sink your college career:
Working too many hours / Over-scheduling
yourself
/ Bad time management / Trying to fit too many things in a day / Not leaving
yourself plenty of time
to read and study
Overspending / Debt / The credit card trap /
"Shopping therapy" / Bad
budgeting / No budgeting / Running out of money
Parents, household members, spouse or significant other not 100%
supportive of your being at UTEP or not understanding what college is all about
Relying on unreliable transportation to get
to class
Approaching college with an “Entertain me!”
attitude / Being just part of the audience in your classes rather than a member of UTEP
Bringing personal, family and household issues to college instead
of leaving them at home
Having a shaky, chaotic, unstable, conflictive or
unsafe home life when you go home / Tolerating domestic abuse or violence /
High-risk or poisonous emotional, intimate or domestic relationships / Trying
to deal with a messy divorce, separation or child custody while enrolled
in classes
Regular or frequent intoxication, alone or with others / Binge drinking / Uncontrolled alcoholism / Illegal substance use / Coming to class drunk, “high,” “stoned,” hung over, or with a buzz on.
Inappropriate sexual behavior / Unprotected or intoxicated sex / Promiscuity / Unexpected pregnancy / Getting someone pregnant / VD-STD’s / Not having a plan "B" in case you unexpectedly come up pregnant, or if your wife, lover, or a casual sex partner unexpectedly finds herself pregnant.
Letting work or readings pile up / Cramming / Procrastination
/ Leaving assignments to the last minute /
Cheating / Plagiarism / Buying papers online or
from other students
Roommate / apartment-mate / landlord problems
/conflicts.
Spending too much time on the phone, texting, or online with friends,
classmates, family or lovers.
Keeping an exclusive or too narrow focus on your major, or on one single personal interest, activity or goal (sports or coaching, music, athletics, dance, writing, drama, fashion design, programming, netware, computer graphics or game design, etc.) with no time, interest or tolerance for any other subjects or activities.
High-risk or aggressive driving / intoxicated driving /
Euro-driving
Keeping late hours / Not enough sleep / Excess TV
viewing / All-nighters
Absenteeism /
Always trying to find the easiest and most fun
classes and easiest prof’s instead of focusing on what you need to take
Focusing exclusively on grades and exams instead
of what you can learn in classes / “Cram and dump” learning
Not seeing studies as your #1 job while enrolled
/ Lack of identification with and pride in the
University / Not self-identifying as a college student as one of your primary
identities
Inattention in class / Nodding off or sleeping in class / Texting or e-mailing
in class / Studying or doing homework
for one class during another class
Primarily concentrating on making social or
professional contacts or on finding girlfriends / boyfriends / sex partners
instead of on classwork
BS’ing your way through / Being proud of always succeeding in your classes with the least possible reading, writing, thinking or learning / "Putting something over" on your professors.
Trying to keep up a long-distance engagement,
marriage or intimate
relationship going while in college
Lack of exercise / Significant weight gain or
loss / Overeating / “The Freshman 15”
Anorexia / Bulimia / Eating disorders /
Self-injury / Cutting / Burning / Self harm
Isolating yourself / Going it alone / Withdrawing
/ Dwelling on your own homesickness instead of engaging whole-heartedly
with UTEP and making friends here / Choosing to hang out exclusively with old
high school friends, “homies” and extended
family instead of seeking new friends and broadening your horizons
Devoting too much time to gaming / Facebook
/ Twitter / texting , instead of schoolwork
Spending too much time and energy on rebelling
against parents, family, injustice, discrimination, or society in general, or
on “making a
statement” (personal, social, cultural , musical, religious, racial,
political or sexual) instead of studying
Feeling sorry for yourself / Bitterness /
Resentment / Anger / Self-hatred / Lack of self esteem.
Ongoing, repeated or unnecessary conflict with professors, other students, or the University itself / Walking around UTEP with an "I don't take s**t from no one" attitude.
Kissing-up / Trying to succeed by befriending,
flattering or even flirting with prof’s instead of by studying
Over-committing to campus clubs, teams, organizations,
frats and sororities, music, sports, dance, church, etc. instead of classwork.
Failure to keep up physical health, including nutrition, dental, vision, hearing, etc.
Failure to be aware of possible problems with mental or emotional health, including culture-shock / Insomnia / Self-medication / Crying yourself to sleep every night / Being afraid to ask for help.
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