GET AHEAD UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2012

1. GET AHEADUNDERGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2012 Becoming the perfect student! Sara Steinke

2. Aims of the session • To help you identify/recap on the qualities and preparation you will need to make in order to become an effective, efficient and successful student • To share/reflect on the knowledge and skills you have encountered this week with other students

3. Orientation • Demystifying your first year at Birkbeck – fitting university study into your busy life – the facilities/support the college provides • What will be expected of you as a student? – what is involved in successfully completing a course at Birkbeck • Returning to study – concerns you may have about returning to study • Welcome to Birkbeck by the Students’ Union • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! – past students sharing their experiences

4. Practicalities • Money management – how to increase your income and how to make what you have go a little bit further • Start organised: Stay organised / Time Management –how to prioritise tasks and to make the most of your limited time

5. Resources • How to make the most of the Birkbeck Library –different resources and services that the library offers to students • A demonstration of Birkbeck Library’s e-resources – different types of online resources available through Birkbeck Library

6. Academic skills • Critical thinking skills –ways in which we exercise our critical reasoning in our daily lives and how we can translate these skills into analytical thinking in academic studies • Reading lists and managing references – recognising the different types of resources you will see on your reading list and how to find them in the Library • Reflect and inspect your academic skills –audit of your academic skills to identify your strengths and weaknesses

7. Academic writing • What makes English ‘academic’? – special features of written English that make it ‘academic’ • Check your academic English skills – features of written academic English which commonly cause problems for students, and suggestions how you can improve your grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary

8. Research • Using the internet for academic purposes – how to improve the quality and efficiency of your online research • IT skills for academic study – free IT training opportunities available to Birkbeck

9. Your future • Defining your career and professional aims – how your Birkbeck studies can contribute to your career advancement or to finding a new career

10. Think about the following 1. In pairs, find out which workshops you have attended, and identify the most important knowledge/skills/qualities that you have learnt/thought about in those workshops. Why are they important to you? 2. Make a list of the things you are going to do to prepare yourself for studying.

11. Think about the following • Do you have queries about an aspect of studying that has not been covered this week? • If so, what is the area of studying? • Consider/identify what help is available to you in this area of studying.

12. Recap of the session • You have identified/recapped on the qualities and preparation you will need to make in order to become an effective, efficient and successful student • You have shared/reflected on the knowledge and skills you have encountered this week with other students

13. Help is available at: • http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/get-ahead-stay-ahead • http://www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/