Preparing for University: Challenges and Expectations

This essay discusses the importance of preparing for university and the challenges and expectations that students may face. It explores the development of essential skills and strategies to overcome language and cultural barriers, become an active learner, and manage time effectively. The essay concludes with the importance of preparation for success in university.

PREPARE FOR SUCCESS
AND CREATIVITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Development as a learner.............................................................................................................3
Future challenges and expectations.............................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Preparing for university is a very complicated and long process where the student needs to
develop and learn different reading, writing and communication skills that will assist them in the
undertaking education successfully (Oldfield and et.al., 2019). In the current essay, the
importance of this module along with various challenges that can arise in university education
will be discussed. Lastly the approached that a student plans to use will also be detailed using a
reflective account statement.
MAIN BODY
Development as a learner
During this entire module, my development from a mere student to a professional learner has
been an intensive and extensive process. Before enrolling in this module I was aware of the
importance of the academic and professional writing in communication but I could not
effectively implement it because of the lack of the adequate knowledge and skills on how to
implement these tactics. I was able to enrol in various writing, reading and communicating skills
and activities that helped me in understanding that how communication takes place in an
professional environment. Regular tests and evaluation helped me in further ascertaining that
what the aspects are where I lacked i.e. on which points I needed to work further. Additionally, it
was also necessary for me to learn how to interact with people from different cultures and
backgrounds so that I could develop positive interaction with them and avoid any impact on the .
Language barrier was the biggest challenge that arises while working together in professional
environments. Through this module I was able to overcome this where I was taught how to
interact in different situations and accordingly and it is necessary to overcome cultural and
language barriers in the university education specifically. The major learning that I developed
was through the tasks that we were allotted. I preferred to engage in almost majority of the tasks
because of the wider are of learning that it covered. Apart from that, the practical examples given
by the teachers and the real life situations in which we were engaged were also major
contributors in the learning that we were able to develop. By exchanging our experiences and
leanings with each other we were able to gather the confidence and clarity in our views that we
expressed (Alharbi, McKenna and Whittall, 2019). As a university student, not only written but,
oral communication is also necessary to develop the persona that is required by university
students and that which can further assist in the professional life that I am to lead in future.
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Therefore, collectively, I can state that the enrolment in this course was necessary to develop me
as a professional and prepare me to meet up to the level of professionalism that is expected for
the university students.
Future challenges and expectations
While enrolling in a university course, some of the major challenges that I can face are:
Language/ Cultural barriers: This is the most prominent barrier that I can face because in
university, there are a variety of students belonging to different cultures that are studying and the
teachers also have different communication methods (Kek and et.al., 2019).
Active learner: This is another expectation related challenge in the university that I can face. A
student is expected to be adequately informed about the topic before it is studied in class and it is
also expected that they engage in discussions that happen in class (Yao and et.al., 2016). This is
a challenge for me because I am not that comfortable speaking in front of everyone but I will be
able to manage the extra study that I have to do because I am studious in nature.
Time Management: The university students are tasked with a lot of assignments, extra work and
tests. This can make time management a difficult task for me where I might lag behind in one or
the other activity at the university because I am weak at managing deadlines.
In order to meet these challenges and expectations, I have developed a approach that I plan
to use in my university course duration:
Developing proper time schedules: This will help me in allocating my time for every activity
that I will be assigned. I plan to strictly follow the schedule that I have developed and avoid
procrastinating tasks until later. Regular efforts will keep me abreast of all the activities that are
going in University (Morina, Lopez-Gavira and Molina, 2017). Additionally, developing
adequate schedules will also assist in allocating some time for myself so that I do not become too
pressured by the university courses. Overall, this strategy will help me in balancing the education
and social life thus increasing my productivity and performance in the university courses.
Communication: Communication is essential in the learning that I intend to undertake in the
university. I can try to become an active learner in the university and this can begin by me
engaging in communication within groups, debates etc. (Nieth and Benneworth, 2019). This will
take time but by regular efforts I can achieve this. Additionally, this module has also helped me
in gaining the confidence that I require to speak with clarity and represent my views in front of
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the audience. I will utilise the learning and training that I have developed here for my university
courses that will simplify my process of becoming an active learner overall.
Seek Help: In order to address the language barriers that I can face while getting enrolled in the
university education, I plan to be tolerant towards understanding what other person is speaking.
Additionally, in the current module I am already learning about the communication strategies
that are to be adopted while communicating with different people (Bovill and et.al., 2016). This
will therefore assist me n developing a positive attitude. I have also planned that in case I am still
unable to understand what a person is saying specifically if this arise sin context of a teacher, I
will seek their help by clearly stating my problem to them and collectively develop a situation.
This will help in not affecting my studies and therefore lead to success at the university course.
CONCLUSION
The essay above concludes that preparation for the university is a very important module for
students where they are made aware about the different challenges that can arise and how to
successfully address them was also discussed in the essay.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Alharbi, M., McKenna, L. and Whittall, D., 2019. Social barriers experienced by female Saudi
nursing students while studying nursing: A phenomenological study. Nurse education in
practice. 34. pp.123-129.
Bovill, C., and et.al., 2016. Addressing potential challenges in co-creating learning and teaching:
Overcoming resistance, navigating institutional norms and ensuring inclusivity in
student–staff partnerships. Higher Education. 71(2). pp.195-208.
Kek, M.Y.A., and et.al., 2019. Leveraging creativity to engage students in an agile ecology for
learning. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal. 2(3). pp.138-153.
Morina, A., Lopez-Gavira, R. and Molina, V.M., 2017. What if we could imagine an Ideal
University? Narratives by Students with Disabilities. International Journal of Disability,
Development and Education. 64(4). pp.353-367.
Nieth, L. and Benneworth, P., 2019. Challenges of knowledge combination in strategic regional
innovation processes-the Creative Science Park in Aveiro. European Planning Studies,
pp.1-19.
Oldfield, J., and et.al., 2019. A face in a sea of faces: exploring university students’ reasons for
non-attendance to teaching sessions. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 43(4).
pp.443-452.
Yao, X., and et.al., 2016. Semantic annotation of high-resolution satellite images via weakly
supervised learning. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. 54(6).
pp.3660-3671.
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