Ways That Will Help You Succeed In University
In principle, the purpose of universities is to rank students in order to find top researchers and help different industries hire the best talent.
In reality, universities rank students based on their ability to adapt to different challenges and optimize their education in the face of such challenges.
These challenges may be unfair or unrelated to the demands of the real world, but in the end they test the ability of students to adapt to difficult and uneven circumstances.
Learning how to Learn
The most valuable lesson you will learn at university is that the learning methods you learned in high school no longer work. The pace of learning picks up significantly at university, where you dig more deeply and broadly into topics that are seemingly unrelated to the field you enrolled into.
One of the most important things you learn at university is which study strategy best fits your personality type and learning style. Different students have different natural strengths and weaknesses.
A few examples of natural strengths that you can draw on to master the subject matter of any course are the ability to focus intently, the possession of a strong memory, and the ability to tailor your studies towards success on exams.
If you figure out your natural strengths and weaknesses, you will be able to master the subject matter of your courses far more efficiently than you would otherwise.
Your learning style also strongly influences the study methods that you should use. Some students learn by teaching others, others learn by doing homework, and still others learn simply by reading. Your learning style will fall into a category, even if it is not a mainstream one.
Try different study methods and see what works for you. The faster you figure out what works for you, the sooner you will become a top performer.
Validation and Verification
Good grades are important. For the most part, your grades reflect the degree to which you have validated your learning. Validation is often the difference between getting a 70 or a 90 on an exam.
An early form of validation occurs when teachers force students to systematically and logically articulate what they have learned. This requires students to actively demonstrate their learning rather than just passively absorbing information.
Another way that students can validate their understanding is by applying what they have learned to hypothetical or real-world problems. If students are unable to apply what they have learned to such problems, teachers will most likely need to ask questions that require students to dig more deeply into the topic under consideration.
The ability to apply what you have learned in order to solve problems in an exam setting is the most explicit form of validation at the university level. If you can do this, you will do well at university.
The purpose of exams, at least in principle, is to verify that you have truly mastered the course material.
In the tech industry, there are dedicated roles for verification. Test Engineers, Verification Engineers and QA are all responsible for uncovering what designers and developers could not: things that were not supposed to happen, but did.
Problems on exams are no different. You can validate your answers by putting your Verification Engineer hat on, and test the logic in your answers. Assume you made mistakes, because unless you get perfect scores on each and every exam, it means you always do.
If you make any mistakes on an exam, do not fret about it. Just make sure not to repeat those mistakes again.
Find People who are more Knowledgeable than You
FRIENDLY GUIDE
You will have a lot of questions. You can find try to find answers by re-reading your textbooks or looking online, but those resources often cannot answer specific questions about a topic in a way that enhances your knowledge.
When you misunderstand something in your studies, you can save time by considering the specific nature and context of your misunderstanding before searching for answers.
If you do this, you will not end up hunting through hundreds of irrelevant questions posed by others in online forums. An alternative to searching for answers online or in your textbooks is talking to people who understand the topic that confounds you.
A person who really understands the topic will not only be able to explain the correct answer to you, but will also be able to point out why the answer you suggested is wrong.
Resolving why you misconceived an idea is foundational to learning. After all, learning does not just consist of absorbing new information. Genuine learning also consists of developing the ability to think more logically and systematically.
Think of people who understand a topic better than you and are willing to discuss the topic with you as private tutors who give you slices of their time. Cherish those moments, and reward them by being an appreciative friend.
Buy them a cup of coffee, it’s the fuel that sustains us all.
FRIENDS HELP YOU TO WORK HARDER
Having a friend who is more knowledgeable than you about a topic will drive you to keep trying harder. You will want to sustain your friendship and continue to receive their tutelage, and as a result you will push yourself to keep up with them.
Every time I took a course with a dear friend (Looking at you Tomer!), my final grade ended up being higher than my semester average.
That motivation is priceless.
Identify your Role Models
Top lecturers and researchers hold their positions because they are good at what they do. Many others did not make it, but they did. Try to understand what makes them special. Find the lecturers and researchers you relate to and aspire to become more like them. My role model is Shuly Wintner, a brilliant Computational Linguist. I respect him for several reasons:
- The information he presents is always accurate;
- Always well-prepared;
- Takes his classes seriously; and
- Is inviting, open, and personable
I’ve learned to pick up more of those habits simply because Shuly demanded them from his students. By aspiring to become more like him, I started to automatically emulate and adopt habits he cares about.
Understanding the Course Material
Course material is easy to understand until you try to apply it. Remember that most of what you are learning took hundreds of years to conceptualize, prove, and formalize.
You should not expect yourself to “just get it.”
It will take a lot of work for you to truly understand the material, especially if your goal is to internalize the deeper meaning and implications of accumulated human knowledge.
Learn to Think
Entry-level jobs start as much easier versions of what you have done at university.
Tasks at entry-level jobs leverage thinking patterns that you have acquired at university, but are typically more repetitive and mundane than your university coursework.
At times it will seem as if most of what you are learning at university is irrelevant to the work you eventually want to do. Numerical Analysis? Computational Models? Logic? How do these help me write better C++?
Every course you take will force you to understand new facts and modes of thinking which required hundreds of years of accumulated human knowledge to formalize and prove.
Your university experience will likely be the most formative experience you have in your entire life. You will internalize numerous concepts developed over hundreds of years.
This experience will reshape your mind and permanently change the way you think.
Care about your Relationships
Above-average individuals who are well-connected are more likely to find entry-level opportunities than those who apply through the “official” channels.
The technology world is highly connection-based. A recommendation from a valued employee goes a long way, so having a friend in a company where one wants to work can be the difference between getting or not getting a job offer.
Build real relationships. If you do not understand the difference between networking and building relationships, then you are doing it wrong. Care. Make strong and positive impressions on your peers, especially if you are part of a minority.
Blend with the majority and learn how to fit in, but also leverage what makes you unique. Remember all the folks you have helped, as well as those who have helped you. They will be more likely to recommend you if you were pleasant to be around.
Heeding this advice will help you make friends for life. You will meet people who care about you and want to be there for you if you do the same for them.
Summary
Study smart, care about your peers, aspire to higher standards and focus on learning how learn and think.
If you follow the foregoing tips, you will get better grades, have a wider network, have a better social experience, and have more opportunities in life. Good Luck!
