Academic Skills (Economics) - Essay Example

Academic Skills (Economics) The general expectation of a like me is that he/she will develop skills and qualities that will boost their performance throughout their coursework. At the university, there is a greater emphasis on independent learning, the tutors merely facilitate to learning process. It is up to me to keep up with the growing information and use it in my learning situation. I am therefore obligated to acquire the standard transferable skills for any academic study. I am not only required to be literate, numerate and to have computer competency, but also acquire and exhibit capabilities, attitudes and qualities necessary for me to fit in the modern world. Being an international student, taking business economics, I am aware of some personal strength that will enable me to enhance my academic skills. One such strength is my potential and willingness to learn. I strongly believe that, that is where it all begins. No human being knows everything and as such, the more willing one is to learn, the faster they can absorb new ideas and concepts. I am a young learner with a growing cognitive capacity and my past academic achievement motivate me to learn more. I am also very decisive. Over the years I have developed strong decision - making skills that have enabled me to use my time effectively - not waste it. I can quickly define a problem, outline alternatives and figure out a solution. This skill enables me to make choices in my day to day activities and also important ones e.g. in shaping my course and in future my career. I am also good at information finding. I have learnt the art of research in the libraries, in data bases and even through other people by networking. This important for my academic skills because information is the basis of most of the studies that I will take. Information is dynamic and it multiplies with time. In my coursework, I will be required to be up to date with information and use it effectively to enhance my work. I am a team - worker. I work very well with others in a group. I participate actively, contribute to research work; attend meeting and give feedback. This will enable me to take on the academic skills group tasks smoothly. Self - teaching is another one of my strengths. I do not always rely on tutors to teach me. I find it more fulfilling to engage myself in activities that 'teach me through discovery. It makes learning much more interesting. This way, I can acquire skills that will last throughout my coursework and even later in life. Another skill I like to practice is innovation. I like doing things differently, to incorporate my self - identity in my work. It allows me to develop creativity and originality. It is the one reason why I prefer to engage my mind rather to copy someone's work e.g. in doing as assignment. It is definitely one of my strengths. Though some people may not look at it this way, meeting deadlines is a strength. I am very organized and as a result, I always make deadlines. Lectures will not have to chase me up to hand in my work. Know how and use of information communication technology is also proving very useful. The world today is very dynamic and technology has become a necessity. The fact that I am well versed with ICT will make acquiring and sing the necessary academic skill very easy. Self - discipline is a major boost in my life including academics. I make a plan of study based on the modules and I stick to it. I organize assignments and coursework in a time schedule to ensure that they are done on time and handed in by the deadline. I am disciplined to the extent that I do not miss any lectures or seminars. I do not take any oft hem for granted. I also have great interpersonal skills. I can relate with anyone. At the university, there is a large number of people of diverse culture. Some of them can even help me acquire different skills. I will also be acquired to work in a group sometimes and also interact with lectures. All this will put my interpersonal skill to good use. I have a positive mind- set. Nothing is too hard. I am also very determined. Once I set my mind on something, I don't give up easily. I believe that determination can make the impossible possible. This means that even though acquiring some of the skills will be difficult, I won't give up until I learn them. However, I also have some weakness. I prefer to look at them as challenges instead, because, although they are weaknesses now, am working on them and soon I'll overcome them. One such challenge is language, specifically English. I am Korean, so communicating in English can be a bit tasking. I am taking English lessons so as to develop and be able to communicate fluently in English. I can also be very critical sometimes. I criticize almost everything, something that others find offensive. I am always asking questions and some tutors have claimed that I dominate and delay the progress of the lesson. I have been told I am very argumentative and I look for a debate even where there is no need for one. Writing is also a challenge in some way. Many times, I have so much to write about that I exceed the limit given. When it comes to editing, I find that I do not want to do away with any of the material I have written and at the same time. I do not want to be penalized. I am working on finding editing styles. I have also experienced a bit of difficulty in trying to listen to a lecture and at the same time trying to make notes. I end up scrawling letter that I cannot interpret later when going through my notes. I am already working on addressing my weaknesses and building on my strengths. First of all, I have developed a good study strategy. I have put down the times and dates of all lectures seminars in a typical week. I also note down assignment and the dates they are due and also dates of exams or tests. This gives me a clear view of how much time I have left free for private study and social breaks. I have also planned to attend all lectures, tutorial and seminars. Take notes, especially of headings and if there is anything I don't understand, I compare it with lecture's handouts later or read about it more from other sources. The main purpose is to grasp the central ideas and develop a working knowledge. I intend to practice preparatory reading i.e. go through topics before the lecturer covers them. The course outline will guide me as to what topic we are meant to cover and in which order. This way, by the time the lecturer is covering a topic, I have a clue and I will not lose the idea in the course of the lecture. I will also review what I have learnt as soon as possible after learning it. This will reinforce my learning and I will not forget things easily. I will also utilize the university facilities to the best of my ability. I will make use of the library and electronic facilities to broaden my knowledge base. I will also interact with course mates and lecturers to enable myself to grow. I am also learning how to select, focus, manage and co- ordinate a range of skills. I intend to take everything in my stride and apply my knowledge. I need to strike a balance in my skills so as to ensure I do not loose out in some areas. I also plan to find ways to make my academic progress fun. It is not all about business. When I do fun things like helping others or making games out of a topic, it will motivate me to work even harder. Through my course of study, I hope to become a self - sufficient learner who can fulfil my academic potential. I would like to exhibit efficient behavioural, cognitive and motivational progress. I am result oriented and I hope to achieve some performance goals I have set for myself. I would also like to achieve cognitive maturity and verbal ability. I would be happy if I would think beyond just what will be able to communicate my ideas to anyone and present them well, even in English. I am hoping that by end of this course, I will have developed strong research skills through active learning. I would like to participate in research that will benefit economies worldwide in future. It would also be a great achievement to acquire creativity. This is coming up with new ideas that are surprising yet intelligible and also valuable. I would love to engage myself in imaginative activities that show originality. My course of study should mould me to be independent of any other person so that I do not reproduce anyone's work. Even after completion of study at the university, I hope to continue growing and developing throughout life. I hope what I will learn during my course of study will enable me to reach a level of self actualization i.e. that I will be transformed and can justify the stand I take in life. References Atkinson, B. and Johns, S. (2001): Studying Economics, Basingstoke & New York; Palgrave Drew, Sue & Bingham, Rosie (1997): The Student Skills Guide Dwyer, A. (2001): Skills for Business English, Student Book 3 Emden, J.V. and Becker, L. (2004): Presentation Skills for Students Fairburn, G. and Winch, C. (1996): Reading, Writing & Reasoning, 2nd edn. Lewis, M. and Reinders, H. (2003): Study Skills for Speakers of English as a Second Language Mackenzie, I. (1995): Financial English McIlroy, D. (2003): Studying at University, London; Sage O'Sullivan, Tom et al (1996): Successful Group Work Peck, J. and Coyle, M. (1991): The Student's Guide to Writing Robbins, S. (2003): Business Vocabulary in Practice Read More