Put yourself under magnifying glass when things don’t get well.
HOLD ON TO your original goals when it comes to dropping out. That is the advice from Natalie Rabson of Boston City Campus and Business College. “Going along with your peers can be a good idea, but not when you are headed for disaster,” she advises. “When you feel that you are drowning in work, it is easy to join others who feel the same way and go with the flow. Then you al sit together moaning and commiserating about how difficult things are, until eventually you feel so lousy that you see no way out except to drop out of your studies.” Dropping out should be the last resort, and if you decide to drop out you should do so after careful consideration and serious discussion with your parents and/ or those who are paying for your studies.
“At the end of the first quarter of the year, a considerable number of students starting feeling overwhelmed,” she says. “It could be that they got behind schedule or that they are simply beginning to stress about impending exams.
“ Whatever the reason might be, when you start doubting your ability, go against the flow: rather sit down somewhere quite on your own. Then start making a list of your strengths and weaknesses. It may seem to be a strange time to make such a list when you are feeling vulnerable and in no mood for self-assessment.
However, according to Rabson, you can do something to overcome them,” she says. And if you can’t do something to make it better, you can go the Tiger Woods route. One of the best golfers the world has ever seen, Tiger believes in “working your strengths, managing your weakness”.
He does not believe in spending too much to correct something at which he is weak. He accepts that no matter how much effort he put into weakness, that weakness will remain weakness. His secret to success is that he would rather spend some time improving his strengths until they are even greater and lead to an unbeatable performance.
It may seem like an unconventional approach, but it clearly worked for him: Tigers weakness is the bunker shots were “good enough”. Then they spent the rest of the time building his swing, his most dominant strength. Tiger Woods went on to win the British Open at St Andrew’s – where there are more bunkers than almost any other course on earth.
There was only one golfer during the four- day tournament that didn’t get into any of the notorious St Andrew’s bunkers – Woods. His swing was so long and so accurate, he didn’t have to play a single ball out of the sand, out of a bunker, not even once. We can all certainly learn something from Tiger Woods, but the point remains that you need to know where your personal weaknesses and strengths lie before you can act on them,” says Rabson.
“Take the time to put yourself and your performance under the magnifying glass. It can be a great exercise to renew your self-confidence and give you clues on where and how to improve your academic performance.” And here too you can follow Wood’s example: he did not try to do it on his own. Instead, he got the best coach he could find to help him work on his weakness and strengths.
Similarly, you should not hesitate to ask a lecturer or a campus counsellor to help with a plan of action. “Your lecturers have a pretty good idea of how well – or not so well – you are doing in your studies,” Rabson adds.
Why not talk to them about your frustrations instead of simply dropping out? Remember that you have a better chance at finding employment when you have a good qualification behind your name.”
Contact Boston City Campus and Business College on 011 551 2000, e-mail info@boston.co.za, visit www.boston.co.za or catch up with Boston students on Facebook.
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