Occasionally I am getting recommendations for articles. This great article was found by some of our readers. I suggest you reading the original article, below I present my personal opinion about the subject.
First of all, I would like to say that getting a specific degree is not the most important part of college experience. I would say the following goals are more relevant.
- Learning to learn. This is the most important skill for the student to master. Our world is changing so fast, that ability to learn things is paramount to long-term career success. 20 years ago, one could learn for exams and hope that everything learnt will stay that way for a while. Today we understand that a large part of what we learn will become irrelevant or outdated 10 years from now. Learning is hands-on, and some learning skills are specific to some fields of knowledge.
- Developing the right mindset. Mindset is the way we approach things. It is much more than a particular set of tools, and can include discipline, critical thinking, experience etc. Projects and lab work build essential experience and attitude that is characteristic to each profession. The way HOW the things are done is more important than what is actually done.
- Mastering teamwork. Smart students often go to college to build connections. Study groups are a great way to build and preserve connections. In the study groups, we also learn how to work as a team to achieve common goals. Extracurricular activities can also build connections.
With these goals in mind, the following skills become extremely important:
- Reading professional literature. You can understand the subject without reading, just from sitting in the lectures. However, if you do read the books recommended by your professor and compare with the lectures, you understand the way your professors read and interpret the literature, which is a very important tool to have.
- Taking notes. Our memory is limited, we will remember some and forget some. Using spaced repetitions we will learn enough to remember. Spaced repetitions require good notes or flashcards to return to each time you review the subject. So it is important not only to make notes but also occasionally review them. Reviewing all the notes at once before the exam is a good way to ensure you will remember nothing half a year after the exam. Reviewing notes does not take a lot of time, you do not need to dive into each detail – just scan the notes quickly with your eyes.
- Active listening. Having a live professor has many benefits, one of this benefits is communication with the professor. If you do not understand something or are not sure in your understanding – simply ask, or maybe formulate your understanding in your own words. If you can make a presentation or execute a simulation as a part of the course even better. The skills you use actively are much more effective. While you are a student there is no shame in failing, it is a problem if you fail after graduation.
- Managing time and daily routine. College is great for developing productivity skills and mindset. In real work creativity is typically more important than productivity and burnout risk is high, so it is best if we build our productivity skills in the controlled environment of college. Rigorous training and examination routine is the best tool to find out which tips work for you, and which do more damage than good.
- Developing people skills. College students that learn with you have very similar interests and agenda. There is a good chance that this is the most homogeneous group to be a part of. Students with similar interests are great for developing your people skills and making friends. People from different faculties offer an insight on how what we do shapes us. College is the perfect laboratory for a practicing psychologist. Use it wisely.
- Professional skills. All these soft skills are great, but you also need to pass tests, so you do need strong professional skills in whatever you use to succeed: language, math, critical thinking and common sense.
College experiences shape our future. Learning to learn, developing the right mindset and daily routine, mastering teamwork are just as important for a college student as getting grades. Professional skills will allow you do your job, soft skills will pave the way to success
