The Importance of Study Skills: A Guide for Higher Education Students

This essay delves into the crucial study skills necessary for success in higher education. It emphasizes the importance of goal setting, risk-taking, and personal responsibility as foundational skills. The essay further explores the benefits of adaptability, time management, and decision-making skills, highlighting their impact on student achievement. It underscores the significance of these skills in navigating academic challenges and fostering personal growth. The essay also examines the influence of external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on students' need for flexibility and effective time management. Additionally, it touches on the importance of critical thinking and team collaboration for enhanced learning outcomes. The essay concludes by summarizing the key skills discussed and their overall contribution to students' academic, personal, and professional success.

Study Skills for Higher
Education

Study skills consists of all those skills which makes students able to learn and study in an
effective manner and become successful (Thompson, 2017). This present study is going to show
some skills which are required for students for becoming successful and getting higher marks. It
will discuss effectiveness and importance of goal setting, risk taking and personal responsibility
skills for students along with description as how it can enable to them to accomplish their goals.
Further, it will discuss some other additional skills such as: adaptability, time management,
decision-making and others which also play an important role in students; success.
Three habits which are important for student success is having some skills which can
make them differ than others and can allow them to grow and getting goods marks. There are
some skills which can help students at academic as well as in personal life (Habits of Successful
People that Transform Life, 2020). As competition is increasing day by day which is increasing
pressure for students. But by having some skills, students can make themselves stressed free.
Goal setting is one of the preliminary skills without whom it is not possible for students to go
ahead and get success. By setting both short-term and long-term goals, students can motivate
themselves for working harder. Ability of setting goals boost their confidence and provide a clear
and right direction as what they actually want to achieve, what they want to become (Mercy,
2019). By having this skill of goal setting students can even know their effectiveness and
monitor themselves as where they are going or if they are on the right track or not. It protects
them against failure and by monitoring their direction on the basis of goals they can take better
actions accordingly and in a timely manner. It is important in giving up the right direction to
students and make them able to get success. It makes them aware about their own actions and
allow them to complete tasks or study on time which is crucial for their success.
Ability to take responsibility of own actions is important for students to have ability to
take responsibilities of failure of success and not to blame on others. When students blame others
because of their failure then it affects their relation and also create barriers in the path of their
success. Students who do not take responsibilities of their own actions are more likely to become
arrogant, and they find difficulties in accepting failure. So, it is important for students to have an
ability to take responsibilities of own failure and success as it makes them polite and able to
accept failures in an effective manner as an opportunity (Mergler, 2017). They are more likely to
learn from their failure story which makes them able to work harder and accomplish goals as
well. Personal responsibility shows their personal character and it is one of the best ways of

creating a satisfying life otherwise, dissatisfaction can lead several problems and make students
frustrated. It is important increases academic integrity and honesty, makes students able to
complete their tasks in a timely manner because this skill reduces procrastination. They are less
likely to make excuses which increases trust and loyalty.
Risk taking for students and people life is full of uncertainties as there are several
extremal environmental factors which create several changes in students life. For making
themselves frustration free and adapting changes it is important for them to have risk taking skill.
Those students who take risks are more likely to get success in their life. It is stated that if there
is no risk then there are no rewards so, for taking rewards and taking opportunities students
require taking risks. It sometimes leads to failure but many of the time can give success as well.
For this skill, they require of having courage to face the fear of uncertainties. When students take
risks then they learn several new things no matter if they become success but the whole process
and fear of taking risks make them stronger which is important for them in getting higher marks
and career growth (Din, Anuar and Usman, 2016). It increases confidence among them and
confidence plays an important role for higher study and achieving good marks. By encouraging
peer-based learning, students can increase this skill. it is important in increase skill is it increases
self-esteem in students, make them able to learn new skills, makes them empowered to make
choices in their life and make them able to learn ways of accepting failures.
So, on the basis of above discussed skills or habits along with their importance it can be said that
students can get higher grades and can become successful in academic field.
Rather, above discussed skills there are several other skills which also play a vital role in
students' success and can make them able to get higher marks and career development.
Flexibility is an ability to adapt changes which occur in internal and external environment. There
are several external environmental factors which gets changed and these changes can have
negative impacts on students' life if they do not have flexibility ability. For example: Covid-19,
this environmental change affected several people including students (Yucel, Karahoca and
Karahoca, 2016). Due to this change students and teachers are finding problems in continuing
classes so, they choose to continue study via online classes and it is quite difficult but one of the
best way of coping up with current situation. Those students who have flexibility skill, they are
more likely to benefited from online classes and those who are lacking in this skill are still facing
problems. So, for becoming successful in education, students require having this skill.

Time management skills main skill which can make students successful. It is found that
procrastination is one of the biggest enemy of students as it is often found students, saying we
will do this tomorrow and from tomorrow we will start this chapter and like this. At the end, they
find that they have a lot to study which makes them frustrated, and they find problems in
concentrating (Ghiasvand and et.al., 2017). So, it is important for students of having this skill as
by having thus skill they can complete their all projects and study on time which is directly
related to frustration and anxiety. Students who have this skill and complete their study on time,
are more likely to remain fresh, frustrate free and focused. When students complete their given
projects and study on time then it boosts confidence and also have a good image in the eyes of
tutor. It motivates them towards working harder and this ability help them out in the future in
career development and in employability opportunities.
Critical thinking is ability of thinking both positive and negative sides. This critical
thinking ability regarding education makes students able to take better decision for growth and
others. It is also stated and can be said that students who have an ability to think for themselves
critically makes them self directed (Hudha and Batlolona, 2017). So, by thinking in a realistic
and meaningful way, students can go on the right path and can also take better strategies for
solving negative effects. It can also be said that when students think critically or consider both
sides then they are more likely to become creative and problem solver.
Team working or collaborationis for better results it is important for students of having
collaboration skill and ability to work with other students and seniors. When students work and
complete any project in a team or group then it makes them able to make project successful. It
reduces their errors and also improve their relation with others. Team working in education have
several other benefits as students learn several new things and know different perspectives of
others (Parker and et.al., 2019.). By knowing different and effectively ways of performing and
learning, students can increase their knowledge and can improve themselves. It also increases
their academic ability which is vital for success and growth.
From above discussed all abilities and skills it can be said that students can get success at
academic, in personal as well as in the professional life in the future.
From the above study it has been summarized that risk taking and personal
responsibilities skills plays an important role for students as it makes them able to become
successful and getting higher marks. It has also discussed effectiveness of goal setting for

students success as it provides them a clear and right direction which prevents them from failure.
Further, it has discussed importance of time management, critical thinking and flexibility.
Flexibility skill play a vital role as it reduces frustration and boost confidence in students. Team
working skill in students also allow them to learn new things and reducing errors.

REFERENCES
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Ghiasvand, A. M. and et.al., 2017. Relationship between time management skills and anxiety and
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Hudha, M. N. and Batlolona, J. R., 2017. How are the physics critical thinking skills of the
students taught by using inquiry-discovery through empirical and theorethical
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Mercy, O. N., 2019. Comparative Effectiveness of Mental Contrasting and Self-Regulation
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Yucel, Ö., Karahoca, D. and Karahoca, A., 2016. The effects of problem based learning on
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Habits of Successful People that Transform Life. 2020. Online Available through:
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