1.1: Before we begin...

Striking a Balance

Obviously, I'm not going to advocate that you should behave as in the above quotes, because I believe you'll get a lot more out of your studies if you actually want to know things and understand how people have come to think the way they do about things, rather than trying to manipulate the system. However, I don't think either that you should naively follow your courses without thinking about where they're leading and how they fit into the overall scheme of your degree.

Paying attention to the regulatory or procedural aspects of your course is important as I mentioned in the section above on what is mapped out for you in your studies. You should take account of how much an assignment is worth when managing the amount of time you spend on it.

You may have to put to one side your particular interest in a topic if that topic does not play a major role in the overall course. To some extent, this goes against the grain of being the enthusiastic, motivated, independently learning student that was highlighted in the quotes from academics above, but sometimes you need to strike a balance between your enthusiasms and the need to follow course requirements.

The main thing is that you are aware of all the competing demands on you as a student so that you can both manage the study process and reach a deeper understanding and level of insight into the subject or subjects you are studying.

You need the motivation to learn, the patience to find out the best ways of learning for you, and the willingness to change both your approach and your attitude to learning, if required. It is my belief that you can become a more effective learner, but the process won't happen overnight. Giving some thought to how you approach your learning, how it differs from others, and the kinds of results you achieve is a first step in this process.

Issues of Confidence

Initially I felt surrounded by people who seemed cleverer and better educated than me. I now know this is a common experience. You quickly learn that overbearing self-esteem does not translate itself into good exam marks, though!

This was the reply the journalist and foreign correspondent, Allan Little, gave to the question: What is your worst memory of university? Later in the interview, he says: among your classmates, don't think the ones with the most self-confidence are necessarily the brightest.

Often students do make the mistake of thinking that the most confident-seeming students are the best students. However, personal confidence is not the same as study confidence. Study confidence comes from being in control over your own learning. This means being clear about your goals, or even trying to become clear about your goals, as they probably won't at first be clear in all aspects of the study process.

It's important to remember that everybody experiences lack of confidence about some aspects of their lives, especially when they are tackling something new. A lot of students lack confidence at the beginning of their studies. The familiarisation process takes time and experience, and confidence builds gradually. This is why it's important to think about how you are actually going about things rather than just taking things as they come. Don't just hand in an essay, for example, and hope for the best.

Don't undermine your own confidence by telling yourself things such as the following: ‘Oh, I'll never get through this’; ‘I'm not the type to be able to do this’; ‘This isn't for me’; ‘My tutor doesn't like me’; ‘My tutor's got it in for me’. These kinds of statements are called ‘negative self-reports’ (see also Chapter 8) – and as the term suggests, you're telling yourself you're no good. And if you're telling yourself you're no good, well … what do you expect?

Uncharted Territory

Learning is not a straightforward process. Your route through your degree is unlikely to be completely smooth. While the subject matter you study comes from well-worn paths of learning, your own learning, the inner journey that you yourself will make, is uncharted territory. You are the one who will map it out.

Only you can do your learning!