Eek, I was so nervous for today's presentation. I hate speaking in public. I know everyone says that but I really do. It makes my palms of my hands go all clammy and my heart beats like crazy. BUT, I know I have to just push myself forward and do it... and I did! I'm so proud of myself! Our group did really well and we really seem to be coming together. The problems we had with the group member not turning up didn't seem to matter in the end as they knew what they had to say and said it. And when I thought about it - like really, REALLY thought about it, it was the team that mattered.
I finished my essay for History and Politics and am now working on my Psychology one, which is due in soon. History and Politics was really different from school even tho I had done history before. I think I maybe done okay. It was all the background reading we had to do that made it different but we got a sheet describing the course and it told us exactly what to read for the different classes.
To be honnest, I did a lot of the reading when I was meant to but there were some bits I couldn't be bothered doing at the time. This was a pain because I had to go back and read them for the first time when I was preparing for my essay. Lesson learnt: it might feel easier not to do the reading but you're really just giving yourself more work and you have to do it when you are more presured. So my essay in H&P is worth 40% and the exam is 60% of the mark which is okay as I don't mind exams too much. In the other hand, tho, my Psych work is in three bits - an essay, a report AND a test. I don't know what I prefer but I guess with three bits to it then you have more chance of getting an assesment style you like? Hmmm...
This is all different to what everyone at home says about uni. I have been told that you aren't allowed to ask for help and they don't tell you what to do, you just have to know. I suppose this is kind of true, the second bit, but I honnestly think I am getting more direction in uni study so far than I did in school. Plus, I feel better that they trust me to do the work so it makes me want to do it more.
So, having a good week so far but it is only Wednesday! Oh, in Learning Skills today we did academic writing. Not US, LOL, but we studied it. It was hard to think about it since we were getting nervous for our presentation but I tried my best. I'll try to remember it when I am finishing off writing my Psych essay.
Ta-ta for now,
Holly Green xxx
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Well done, Holly, for giving your presentation (and feeling happy that you had done a good job), and also for completing your History & Politics essay. It sounds as though you’re well organised for your next assignment too, and you’re keeping track of how much (%) each assessment is worth – good stuff!
ReplyDeleteFor the presentation, you feel that in the end the team overcame the early problem of low commitment of some members. You have been positive and tolerant with this, and have learned a lot about teamwork. In contrast, the less committed team members have lost out – not necessarily in terms of their mark but certainly in terms of their own learning and development. Every learning experience is a building block for your eventual achievement.
You say you did the reading for the H & P essay: how did that go? Did you feel that you understood the material? Were there different views on the topic from different books/ articles, and if so, did that help you to understand (or was it more confusing!)? You may have found that some of your fellow-students thought they could write their essay just using class handouts; this does sometimes happen at university, but tutors don’t give many marks for simply having their own handouts quoted back at them! Having done the reading your own learning will be much “deeper”.
As for the Psychology assessments: I agree, the three tasks for assessment do look daunting, however, as you say, they are different kinds of task so you have a good chance of finding at least one type that suits you.
Now, whoever said that “you aren’t allowed to ask for help at uni”? It’s simply not true! There is plenty of help available at every university – from academic tutors, personal tutors, student mentors, student support services – but you do need to go and find it when you need it. Many tutors really like being asked for help – it makes us feel we’re doing something useful! Working together with friends / fellow students (eg in the times between classes) is also enormously valuable for your learning.
Keep up the good work, Holly. Sorry my comments have been slightly delayed this time. I have been at two conferences, one after the other, over the last five days; I’ve been listening to lectures and taking part in discussion groups, which has reminded me what it’s like to be a student!