READING ANALYSISHOW TO SUCCEED AS A STUDENT.docx

READING ANALYSISHOW TO SUCCEED AS A STUDENT.docx

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READINGANALYSISHOWTOSUCCEEDASASTUDENT

CONTENTS

NOTE2

HOWTOSUCCEEDASASTUDENT3

YOURPLACEINTHEUNIVERSITY3

WHATISEXPECTEDOFYOU?

4

MOTIVATION,TIMEMANAGEMENTANDSELF-ORGANIZATION5

FRIENDSANDSUPPORTGROUPS7

IFYOUHAVEPROBLEMS8

READTHESUPPLIEDINFORMATION9

FORTHESTUDENTCOMINGSTRAIGHTFROMSCHOOL10

FORTHEFOREIGN,ESPECIALLYASIAN,STUDENTS11

Extractedfrom“HOWTOSUCCEEDASASTUDENT”

KevinB.Bucknall

Copyright1994

NOTE

Thismonographintendedtohelpyoudowellatuniversityandwasoriginallypublishedin1994entitledAnAcademic'sAdvicetoaUniversityStudent.

KevinB.Bucknall

February1995

HOWTOSUCCEEDASASTUDENT

YOURPLACEINTHEUNIVERSITY

Itismostimportanttothinkaboutyourpurposeincomingtouniversityandthenorganiseyourselftoachieveit.Doyoujustwantadegreeofsomekindandnotfail?

Doyouwanttoachievethebestqualitydegreeyoucan?

Doyouwanttolearnalotaboutonethinginwhichyouhaveastronginterest?

Doyouhaveaparticularcareerinmindthatyouwishtostudyfor?

Doyousimplywantabetterjobandfeeladegreewillopenupdoors?

Doyouwishtobroadenyourmindandimproveyourpersonalqualityasahumanbeing?

Doyouseekintellectualstimulationandenjoyment?

Doesthelifeofastudentmerelysoundattractivetoyou?

Areyoureturningtostudyaftersomeyearsintheworkforcebecauseyouneedachallenge,orcannowaffordtostudy?

Areyouherebecauseyourparents,familyorfriendsthinkitisagoodidea?

Areyoutryingto“run-away”fromdecisionsaboutwhattodowithyourlife?

Theanswertosuchquestionsmayaffectyourallocationoftimebetweenstudyandleisure,andhelpyoutodecidewhatthingstostudyinmoredepth.

Selfdiscoveryanddevelopmentareanimportantpartofuniversity,especiallyforthosestraightfromschool.Mind-wideningisonegreatbenefitfromattendinguniversity,inadditiontogainingadegree.

Youhavecometolearnnotjusttobetaught-thereisacleardifference-althoughwedotryhardtohelpandguideyou.Inlesspoliticallycorrecttimes,Galileosummedthisupas`Youcannotteachamananything;youcanonlyhelphimtofinditwithinhimself'.`Beingtaught'issomethingthathappenedtoyouatschoolandisratherapassiveexperience,whereyousitandlisten,takenotes,andmemorizethemlater.Learningiswhatyoudoinhighereducationandperhapsfortherestofyourlife.Itisinfactveryhardnottokeeplearningfortherestofyourlife,althoughitmaynotseemlikelearningatthetime.Learningisamuchmoreactiveexperiencethanbeingtaughtandissomethingyoumustdoforyourself,fornoonecandoitforyou.Youlearninmanyways,oneofwhichisbyotherpeopleteachingyou.Theprocessoflearningattheuniversitylevelinvolvesyougoingoutandlookingthingsupinthelibrary,discoveringinformation,readingforyourselfandthinkingaboutwhatyouarereading.Italsoincludesdiscussingandarguingwithotherstudents.Thatisonereasonwhyyouwillspendperhapstwelvehoursaweekinformalcontact.Youaresupposedtobelearningforyourselfandthetimeismadeavailableforyoutodothis.Yougetguidanceinyourlearningofcourse,includingsubjecthandouts,readingorbooklists,probablywithchapterreferences,andthelike.

Intheenditisuptoyou.Youmustlearnforyourself,usingwhattheTeachersay,whattheotherstudentscontribute,andwhatyoureadinthelibraryallasabasisforyourgreaterunderstandingandimprovedcapacityforthought.Thinking,asopposedtoregurgitatingviewsyouhavereadorbeentold,isnotaseasyasonemightthinkandyoumightfinditverytiringatfirst.

Doaskifyoudonotunderstandsomething.Inuniversity,theTeacherexpectsyoutointerruptandaskquestionsinlectures.Ifyoukeepquiettheywillassumeyouarefollowingwhatisbeingsaid.Onceyoudonotunderstandonething,itmightbeimpossibleforyoutounderstandthenextstep.Ifyoucouldnotunderstandapointinalectureseethepersonwhogavethelecture,takeyournotesandaskthemaboutthepoint.Iftheproblemconcernssomethingyoureadinthetextbookorinanarticle,takethebooketc.withyou.Ithelpsifyouwritedownsomethingaboutthedifficultyortheworkingsthatyoutriedtodo,asaTeachercanmoreeasilyseewhereyourproblemlies.Ifyouturnupwiththestatement`Icannotunderstandanyofit',itishardtohelpyou,asyouhavemadetoobroadastatementandtherearenopointersfortheTeachertoconsider.Suchabroadstatementoftenmeritstheresponse`Gooffandthinkaboutitsomemore,thencomeback',althoughmostTeachersareprobablytookindtosaythisandyoumaynotbetoldthisoften.

WHATISEXPECTEDOFYOU?

GreatExpectations.

（TitleofabookbyCharlesDickens）.

Whatisexpectedofyouatuniversity?

Firstyouareexposedtolearninginseveralways.Youareexpectedtoattendlecturesandtakenotes.Youwillalsogotoseminars（possiblycalledatutorial）whereyouwilllistentoapapergivenbyastudent（includingyoueventually）andmakenotesofanythingthatseemsofparticularimportanceorinteresttoyou,thendiscussthepaperanditscontents.AtutorialshouldreallyrefertoaTeachertalkingtooneortwostudentsprivately,butthetermisoftenusedtorefertowhatisinfactaseminarwhereapaperisreadoutinaroomfullofstudentsandadiscussionisleadbyaTeacher.Youwillparticipateinanappropriatefashion,e.g.,discussatopicinsmallgroups,argueacaseforsomeproposition,ordoaquizanddiscusstheanswers.Whateveryouhavetodowillbeexplainedtoyoufully.OtherFacultieshavetheirownversionsofpracticalsessionscalledbydifferentnames,suchaslaboratorysessionsorfieldtrips.

Second,youwillprepareassignments.Youwillgivetutorialpapers,whereyouareassignedatopicthatyouprepareandifitisintheformofaquestion,answer.Youcanwriteitoutinfullandreaditoutloud,orworkfromnotes.Theformerismorecommonandeasiertodo.Thelatterwayisharder,butitisgoodpracticeforlaterlife,whenyoumayhavetotalktonotes.Thehandoutyoureceiveforthesubjectmaytellyouwhichwayitshouldbedoneinthatsubject.Remember,ifyouhaveafreechoice,writingitoutinfulliseasier,especiallyintheearlydays.ExpecttohavetoanswerquestionsaboutthepaperyougaveandperhapsfacecriticismsofyourexpressedviewsbyyourfellowstudentsandtheTeacher.

Insomesubjects,youwillalsowritesemesteressays.Thetitle,expectedlengthanddateofsubmissionwillbegiventoyou.Sometimesyoumaychooseyourowntitle,afterdiscussionwiththeTeacherconcerned.

Examinationswillalsoappear,usuallyonceasemesterineachsubject,althoughmid-semesterexamsarealsopossible.Theproportionofmarksforeachassignmentthatadduptothetotalforthesubjectshouldbecommunicatedtoyouatthestartofthesubject,probablyinahandout.

Formostpeople,thefirstdegreeissufficient.Toanextentitisusedbyemployersasasortofsieve,throughwhichthebrighterandbetterpeoplehavegone,andtherebydemonstratedthattheyareveryemployable.Forafewofthebetterjobs,notablytheDepartmentofForeignAffairsandTrade,anHonoursdegreeisusually,althoughnotinevitably,required.Fewemployersseemtotakemuchnoticeofpostgraduatedegrees,exceptforteachinginhighereducation,researchanddevelopmentjobs,andsomepostsinscienceandtechnology.Inthemoreextremecasesinprivateindustryandcommerce,ahigherqualificationmightevencountagainstyou.Thisattitudeisnotgenerallypopularamongacademics,whooftenvalueeducationforitsownsake,butsurveyshaveshownitexists.Withasteadydriftupwardovertimeinthequalificationsdeemednecessaryforanyparticularjob,itispossiblethatthenegativeattitudeofsomeemployerswilleventuallychange.

MOTIVATION,TIMEMANAGEMENTANDSELF-ORGANIZATION

`Nothingpuzzlesmemorethantimeandspace.'

（CharlesLamb,LettertoThomasManning,2Jan.1810）.

Astrongmotivationisreallyneededtolearnandsucceedatanything.Recallyouwereearlieradvisedtothinkcarefullyaboutyourpurposeincomingtouniversity.Thiswassuggestedtoassistyoutostrengthenanddevelopyourmotivationandtohelpyoutoorganiseyourselfinthemostbeneficialway.

Thinkaboutwhyyouwanttobehereandkeeprememberingwhatmainaimyouaretryingtoachieveandwhythisisimportanttoyou.Itwillhelpyoutolearnandsucceedgenerally.Itjustmightalsohelpyoutobuckledownandreadyournotesorthetextbookwhenyoushoulddothisbutaretemptedtogoout,orwatchTV.Mentalworkishardandthemindisverycleveratthrowingupfeelingsandsuggestionstoyousothatitcanavoidworking,especiallygoingthroughtheagonyofthought.Itmight,forexample,suggestthatmakingcoffeeandtalkingwouldbenice,orabeer,orringingupafriend....Thebrainiscleveratdevisingsuchrusestoavoidwork.Astrongmotivationcanhelptokeepyoustudyingandsucceeding.

Notethatworryandpressurearenotinthemselvesbadthings.Theycancauseyoutoworkharderandconcentratemoreandhencecanbebeneficial.Thetrickistomakeuseofthemasapositivethingandharnessthemtoworkforyouinthisway.Toomuchworryandpressurecanbebad,andcauseyoutomopeaboutorgetdepressed,ratherthanstudyharderorlonger.Ifyouareunluckyenoughtofindthisfitsyou,firsttrytoharnessthemtoworkforyou.Ifthisdoesnotwork,youcantalktothepeopleinthemedicalcentreorseekspiritualhelpfromsomereligiousperson.Yogaisoftenbeneficialinreducingst