Week 1

Hi Hannah, 

I hope to make this visually appealing in the coming weeks. But, for now..

Knowledge gained: What did I learn this week, academically and personally?

It has been a long time since I have studied outside of the context of work. Of course, I’ve learnt new skills and gained knowledge in the workforce, but that has always been under the motivating forces of Getting Paid and of Avoiding Getting Fired. Learning proactively, under my own steam, and because it is something I want to do, feels like returning to a long-lost version of myself.

I was interested to hear what you had to say on resilience and the academic slump. I have consistently experienced this throughout my life and have never thought it was a common feature of the process but rather my own personal glitch.

Challenges: What obstacles did I face, and how did I overcome them?

I managed the 2.5 hour commute on Monday morning pretty well but I left 6 minutes too late on Tuesday and discovered that that was enough to put me out. I missed my train by the skin of my teeth and spent the next 45 mins trying to chase it down the coast. In the end, I gave in and drove the distance to campus. I spent 6 hours in the car on that Tuesday, so, although I faced that obstacle, I will be making sure to use those 6 minutes more wisely for the rest of trimester.

Successes & strengths: What successes or strengths did I recognise in myself this week?

This is my second attempt at studying (well, fourth, actually, if you count the single year of a BA and the single semester of a Diploma in Literary Studies). This week, I came to realise that I know myself better this time around - I’m more familiar with my opinions, I’m more comfortable in my skin, I’m more aware of my shortcomings. I suppose I simply have more confidence than I used to. I intuitively feel like this is a good thing rather than an indication that I am now too 'set in my ways'. Time will tell I suppose..

Application: How can I apply what I have learned?

When the ‘honeymoon’ period comes to a close this trimester, I will know to keep an eye on my own thoughts about studying, my motivation, my general spirits, and I will be able to pull from the knowledge I’ve gained about what I can do to persist in the face of the ‘culture shock phase’, to be resilient.

For me, resilience will be about consistency – creating a study schedule and sticking to it, putting one foot in front of the other week after week. Just as consistently, I will need to include some down time and exercise for balance.

Areas for improvement: What skills or knowledge would I like to develop further?

In terms of hard skills - I absolutely need to revisit Adobe by engaging with the resources available on Student Hub. I think I would also benefit from one of the Digital Literacy workshops on offer via Vygo.

In terms of soft skills, I’ve touched on this but I think my time management will be the most challenging and important skill to nail. As a worker, I had pretty efficient ways of completing my daily tasks but I felt like I was under the thumb of my employer. With the freedom of being nobody’s employee, and being a quick drive away to an endless stretch of beach, I will need to exercise the self-discipline muscle pretty hard!

Goals: Based on my reflections, what personal goals can I set for the coming week?

Goal 1 – Develop a weekly study schedule

Goal 2 – Actively engage in outlets for emotional balance

Did the scavenger hunt help you feel more at ease navigating the university environment?

Yes, it revealed how many resources were buried within the site. Other than the 2 mentioned in Discussion Activity 2, I found:

Class4Success contains some interesting looking modules on blog writing and time management, for example.

The Library has an Interior Design Subject Guide which looks like it has some helpful resources to explore as well.