Attitude (Part 2)
EXTRAS
Success at university is not just about taking control of your own studying time. It is about how you interact with people around you as well.
In Part 1, we looked at ways to cultivate a good attitude on an individual level. Now it is time to look at our responses to and relationships with the people around you.
Accepting criticism and self-reflection
One of the most challenging skills that undergraduate students need to develop involves dealing with criticism from their tutors. When you don’t get the marks you expected for an assignment, or when it has been suggested you work on your presentation techniques, it can come as both a surprise and a chastening experience.
Writing at university level, for example, requires much more attention to detail and rigorous treatment of evidence than that which you were used to producing at school.
In addition, classroom contributions, whether during a seminar or in a formal presentation, require you to be prepared beforehand, having read the books and articles you were instructed to read or thinking about how you are going to make your case in a debate.
Tutors will always be helpful and attempt to guide you through any issues without causing you to feel ashamed. But you are likely to experience some sort of critical assessment of whatever you say in class or write in assignments. It is important to realise that this is an important part of the learning experience – a quite normal facet of studying at university level - so it is best to be prepared for this and react in a positive manner.
Instead of seeing this as a negative moment, try to embrace the opportunity it presents to improve your skills and be more successful with your course. How you react to criticism will often play a large role in your development as an undergraduate. Identifying any issues that affect your ability to do well and reflecting on what you could have done better will benefit you in the long run, no matter how you feel in the moment.
Along with critical thinking, the development of self-reflection is a vital element in learning at university level. You should practice it whenever you are presented with the chance to do so.
Asking for help and advice
When you don’t get the marks you were expecting, or you find yourself struggling to understand an issue, it is important to seek help and/or advice.
It is part of the tutor’s job to help you understand issues and learn the standards necessary to produce good quality work. It is therefore in their interest to help you with these things when it is genuinely a problem.
Please remember that asking for clarification or help understanding an issue is not a sign of weakness. Asking questions is a vital part of critical thinking, something at the heart of the academic process. Your tutor will always be happy to explain something again or find a way of helping you come to understand something because asking questions shows you are listening and making an effort to understand.
One of your tutors should also be able to help you understand the general process of studying your course as well. They will be able to help you with how the course is laid out, how the marking system works, and other issues directly related to the course you are doing.
TIP
Sometimes it is better to ask one of your Associate Tutors about this. They may have only just finished studying themselves and they will likely have sought clarity on these things from their department head before they started teaching your course. As a result, they will often have the most up to date information as well as some practical advice.
When it comes to wider issues around university life, housing, employment or health problems it is okay to raise these things with your tutors, but you should be aware that in most cases it will be more appropriate to contact Student Services. (They will usually notify your tutors, using general terms, that you are experiencing problems and will ask them to be supportive of your needs.)
If you are experiencing these problems, please be sure to seek help. Everyone at university wants you to succeed and they will do everything they can to help your wellbeing.
Being collegiate
Much of your course involves individual effort on your part: writing assignments, giving presentations, taking exams. Your marks are for your individual efforts, after all.
However, there are many instances where you will be required to work in a team as part of your course.
In the classroom, tutors will often separate students into groups of 3-4, asking them to concentrate on a particular issue and report back to the whole class with conclusions reached. You may also be given a presentation as an assignment, where you will likely be paired with another student and both expected to contribute.
This is because much of academic life does not fit in with the old cliché involving a lonely scholar alone with their books. Respecting the views of others and engaging with them in a constructive way is a part of the modern learning process. It is also a life lesson that can be applied outside of the classroom, especially in work and social situations.
This is referred to as ‘being collegiate’ – in other words, recognising the value of others’ contributions and learning to work with others, whether fellow students or staff, as part of a general process of learning.
There are other areas of your study where working with others as part of a team can help you obtain the highest grades.
The most obvious way is in forming small, informal study groups. Doing research on an assignment or revising for an exam with others can make the process more enjoyable and deepen your understanding through shared discussions. (I have written more about this here.) Friendship groups like this will also provide mutual support whenever you are experiencing problems and help deal with confidence and feelings of isolation.
Conclusion
University can sometimes feel like a place where everything is out of your control. But this need not be the case.
Adjusting attitudes and behaviours will prepare you for the challenges ahead and help you succeed on your course. Ultimately, how well you do at university largely depends on you.