Thursday, September 20, 2018

My Degree: What I would have done differently



A bit of a cliche topic perhaps but I'm aiming to communicate some useful lessons I learned in the hope you can make use of them. My degree was certainly not perfect and that was at least partly due to decisions I made, so here's a critique of some of them.

Disclaimer: You'll note that most of these are things I neglected to do, that's a character trait not a general rule. I don't follow the whole 'you regret the things you don't do', don't take that away from this article.

Not talking with academics enough:

This is first because its probably my biggest regret! In my last year I sat down with a few theorists and had some in-depth career discussions with them but apart from that I had minimal contact with the academic staff in my department. I asked questions in lectures from time to time, also provided answers to questions thrown to the audience and occasionally asked questions after lectures had finished. It would be fair to say that no member of academic staff would really recognise me or know my name, I blended into the background.

Now my regret about being in this position is that I saw other students who actively engaged with academic staff on regular basis benefiting from their improved student-academic relations! They found it easier to seek the help of lecturers with regards to coursework problems or material they were struggling with. Many of them also engaged in high-level discussions regarding material beyond the current course level or current research, the benefit of this was immense. This enabled them to converse with entire groups of academics and become an edition of the academic culture at the uni.

I feel that this is something I really should have made more of an effort on, by asking lecturers more questions after lectures for example. I would advise you to try and develop a good working relationship with your lecturers and other academic staff, it will really benefit you (as well as being good networking).

Not pushing myself beyond the taught curriculum early enough:

Whilst I read outside of the course throughout my entire degree I didn't really push myself to study higher level material regularly until my third year. This was something I did readily at GCSE and A-Level but I had a bit of a blip for two years, for some just and some unjust reasons. I would encourage you (if you want to pursue physics in academia particularly) to look above the course material and always stretch your mind.

This not only prepares you better for the next stages of study but also continually improves your problem solving skills and makes current work easier in comparison to your extension work! It also feeds into achieving conversations with lecturers, often they are more likely to converse with a student who is extending themselves beyond the course and becoming a more rounded physicist. It also help to read about the area they are researching...

I benefited a lot from pushing myself in this way during my final year and would encourage you to do so from the very beginning of your degree! The students who did this were often top of the class.

Not spending enough time in the library:

It didn't dawn on me until about halfway through my degree quite how useful the following things were:

  • Knowing the library's collection of physics texts and knowing what they are good for
  • Using whiteboards and having a good size of study space
  • Using library space in the evening when other students are often being loud outside your accommodation
  • Getting out of your accommodation to provide a fresh environment when you are struggling to work
Plain and simple, the library ended up being a very good friend of mine and I'd suggest you befriend yours!

Not maintaining a hobby:

I spent the best part of six years getting a black belt in a martial art, I carried on training in that and another for a further two years before I came to uni. Needless to say it was a serious hobby and I put a lot into it. 

When I went to university I made a moderate effort to find a new club to join, I tried out two other classes but I didn't do more than that. I didn't really like either of them and I told myself I would look elsewhere. In the end I never did and I spent three years without a hobby I still have a serious attachment too. 

I regret that decision and would encourage you to pursue your hobbies as you transfer from A-Level to uni and throughout your degree if you can.

Organise your study from the offset:

I didn't initially structure my studies and it took me until about my third year to figure out how to get it right. I would suggest not leaving it that long...

I've mentioned before that I struggle with schedules and I require an element of flexibility but everyone needs a timetable of sorts, I didn't implement a stringent enough one early enough. I had periods of time where I was handing in multiple problem sheets the night before they were due through my first two years, this was purely due to scheduling problems of my own making.

Plan ahead and get work in ahead of schedule if you can! This is far more easily achieved with a good schedule in place. And revise from the outset... more on this another time.


So there's five things I think I should have done differently in my degree, fingers crossed you won't end up regretting similar decisions in yours! 

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