No matter what degree a person chooses to pursue upon graduating from high school and no matter where they decide to attend, there are at least seven skills that they’ll be learning as they embark on that new journey of being in post-secondary. Those are: time management, research skills, financial literacy, critical thinking, adaptability, independence, and networking. Though most of these are self-explanatory, let’s dive into some examples a post-secondary student is likely to experience for those soon-to-be uni or college students to feel less alone.
Time Management
This one I’m no pro in; I’m still learning! But, with your courses likely being at all different times of the day during the week, your work then needing to be changed yet again so as to be able to attend your lectures, labs, or seminars at school, and needing to factor in some time for studying and hanging out with your loved ones, the first skill you’re likely to learn is time management. How can you do it all? Managing your time according to your schedules!
Research Skills
I think this goes for a lot of programs in post-secondary, if not all. But my experience involved being introduced to all these different tools and softwares that I never knew existed before, and I learned to pick or be given a topic, apply it to my learning, and then do research using those tools and softwares to back up at least one research question or hypothesis. I personally really enjoyed learning this skill and got to practice it a lot!
Financial Literacy
The gravity of this skill learned in post-secondary is dependent on whether there is any financial hardship when paying for education, living, and so on during one’s time of being a student. Nonetheless, it’s a skill that most face; the joke of “students are broke” remains true for most of us! This is because we’re either paying for tuition, our textbooks, tutoring, as well as our cost of living (choosing to live on campus, in residence, or off-campus). Some of us experience all of the above which is how being careful with expenses is so important and learned pretty quickly! We’re all trying not to be in debt or in as little debt as possible.
Critical Thinking
This one is less pronounced, but with the amount of assignments, exams, and studying that’s happening over the course of the years spent in post-secondary, you’ll likely find that you can think more in-depth about topics that are brought to you in the real world. You might even be able to solve problems that you experience on the daily in a more concrete way with more than one possible solution. All in all, furthering your education and studying a topic or multiple in school will have positive effects on your brain; learning is good for you all around!
Adaptability
This one’s for all the students who have experienced syllabus changes or errors from their professors or even students who worked while completing their degrees or certifications and found a lot of schedule changes hard to adapt to. I remember how confusing it was to get used to the many differences of availability I had when working and attending university. It made it hard sometimes to fit in studying and have somewhat of a social life. What I learned quickly, though, was how to adapt to the constant changes. This was probably the best thing I learned during my time in post-secondary.
Independence
Now, I know a lot of us are already independent, but I think that before going to college or university, we were used to a different education system in elementary school, middle school, and high school. At those schools we had teachers who walked us through the curriculum they were teaching us. We also knew of everyone in our classes and, odds are, in the entire building! What current students can probably attest to and what upcoming students will likely learn pretty quickly is how education proceeds in post-secondary institutions through giving tasks, asking you to complete it on your own time, and submitting the necessary assignments before or on the due date that’s assigned. Any questions? Attend your professor’s office hours or ask the TA. Do you know anyone in your classes? Could be! But, at least in your first couple years the class sizes are bigger and filled with students from different parts of the world, in different programs, and of all different ages. This can make making friends a tad trickier than elementary school, middle school, and high school!
Networking
This last point takes a little bit more of an active role from the student. Some ways you can do this is by getting involved in clubs or sports teams on campus, going to your professor’s office hours, and building relationships with your colleagues, professors, and TA’s. All of which you’re likely to find people who can help you in your educational journey and in your career. If not, you’ll at least meet many people and build some friendships along the way!
That’s all
Hopefully this article was relatable or helped someone in some way. Just know that whatever journey you’re on in college or university, you will make it through and will definitely learn way more than just the subject matter you signed up for when enrolling!