Self-Responsibility

About 50% of students fail to graduate from the college in which they first enroll, typically due to the lack of readiness responsibility in the student. Were you ready? Self-responsibility includes recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, critically thinking through problems, and accepting the consequences of your choices. What have you learned about yourself since entering college?

" Learn to cultivate your own garden."

Voltaire

Looking Back:
A Self-Reflection

What does self-responsibility mean to you?

Check out our worksheet.

Quiz Ideas

  • Do you take charge of your goals and achievements? Or do you sit around talking about it instead? Use this tool to find out how motivated you are.
  • How well do you take responsibility for yourself? Do you blame others for the problems in your life? Do you blame chance? Take this quiz and see.

Moving Ahead:
The Challenge

As you think about your choices concerning right and wrong, what changes would you like to make for the future?

Check out our worksheet.

Articles

  • Self Responsibility - WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?
    • Carol Filak, RN, Administrative Director, Student Health Services
    • Benson George Cooke, Ed.D., Former Assistant Director and Counselor, Assistant Professor, Counseling Center

Campus Resources

  • Counseling and Psychological Services
    CAPS provides a wide range of free services to students, which are provided by a staff of professional clinical psychologists, social workers, counselors, learning specialists, and psychiatric providers. They offer individual counseling, group counseling, workshops, and outreach programs, as well as other resources.
  • Student Health Services
    Student Health Services provides high quality health care, counseling, health education and prevention services to George Mason University students. From diagnosis and treatment of illness and injury, to women’s and men’s health, to immunizations and prescriptions, Student Health Services is available to all Mason students with clinics at Fairfax, Arlington and Science and Technology Campuses. There is no charge to be seen by one of our healthcare providers. There are nominal fees for treatments, and supplies.
  • Center for Psychological Services
    CPS offers individual, family, and couples therapy, group therapy, assessment, consultation, and mental health evaluations. They use evidence-based clinical training in assessment, consultation and intervention, and provide accessible, affordable, culturally sensitive, and state-of-the-art services to the community.
  • Wellness, Alcohol, and Violence Education and Services
    WAVES helps students make healthy, safe choices and encourage lifelong, thoughtful healthy decision-making through individualized support, creative, programming, and evidence-based education and outreach. They help students feel empowered and have the capacity to grow to their full potential and reach optimal wellness and well-being. WAVES offers information on alcohol including staying sober, sober rides, safer drinking, talking to others about their alcohol use and more.

Additional Resources

  • Positive Thinking Principles
    Positive Thinking Principles is a site that encourages and reinforces a positive attitude. They offer articles on self-responsibility,perception and belief, tips on thinking and stress, inspirational quotes and people, positive news and more.
  • Psychology Today
    Psychology Today is a website that is all about people and what makes them tick. The site is supported by over 750 psychologists, academics, psychiatrists and authors. They offer information, tests, and more on self-responsibility.
  • Mind Tools
    Mind Tools is a website that was established to help people learn practical and straight forward skills they need to excel in their career and they provide training solutions for companies and governments. They offer videos, articles, blogs and more on self-responsibility.