College Tips from a Double Valedictorian

When Tiffany Singleton arrived at Bryant & Stratton College in Rochester, New York, she wanted to accomplish a lot. But she didn’t know just how far she would go. Her goal was simply to do her best and give 100% in every class. When she graduated in 2016 with her medical administrative assistant associate’s degree, she was the campus valedictorian. Then she kept going and enrolled to get her bachelor’s degree in health services administration. When she graduated with her BA in [2020], she was the valedictorian again.

We sat down with Tiffany to find out how she did it, where she’s headed and what advice she’d give to new Bobcats.

B&SC: Obviously it was important for you to do the best you could at college. Why?

Tiffany: My personal belief is that if I am going to do something, no matter what it is, I must give 100%. I feel this belief is a part of my identity, and I must stay true to who I am. There were times I wanted to give up, but I made a promise to myself, and I had to keep that promise. Failure was not an option.

B&SC: What habits did you have, or what things did you do, that led you to this success?

Tiffany: I made a commitment to myself to go all the way. When I felt like giving up, I would remind myself of this commitment and stay focused on the end goal. This motivated me to keep pushing myself.

When it came to studying, I made some sacrifices, such as not going out, so that I could study or finish an assignment. I understood that sacrifice is a major part of staying on track, and realized that the sacrifice I made now would produce a greater outcome in the end.

Another thing I did was be an active participant during lectures by asking questions. This really helped to increase my understanding. To be an active participant you have to show up, be prepared and communicate with your Bryant & Stratton instructors.

B&SC: What was the most important thing you learned when it came to studying and mastering your classes?

Time management is the most important aspect of studying. There must be a balance between school and personal life. By managing your time, it will decrease stress and make it easier for you to achieve your goals.

Also, I was a mentor to quite a few of my classmates. As a mentor, I could see that I grasped the course information quite well and was able to explain it to others so they could understand the material too. This attribute helped me maintain my grades because it allowed me to review material in another format other than studying on my own.

B&SC: What was the most important thing you learned when it came to balancing school, work and family?

Even though you have a lot going on, don’t neglect anything. I worked in the healthcare field, and my coworkers would help me study during our downtime. I would also do this with my family. I made a schedule that I adhered to, and that way allowed myself some downtime between studying, which helped me from getting burned out.

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