‘Fresher’ than a guy off a boat

My journey began back in 2010 at the University of Warwick where I was absolutely thrilled to go to university to study a course called MORSE (not Morse code!) but Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. I chose this course to really understand the potential career paths available for me to sculpt and utilise my strength in mathematics. Outside of my academic life I absolutely loved the range of societies, football and …..kabaddi (an Indian sport that is the Indian equivalent of rugby – limited to a few square feet!).

Throughout my years at university I have always doubted whether the modules I was learning was a right fit for strengths and interests. There were certain areas covered such as Economics and Operational Research which I thoroughly enjoyed at university and prepared me for the real world. However other aspects including pure mathematics and statistics that I found to be absolutely horrendous to study.

Where did it go wrong?

It was during my second year of university in which I took the advice from those in the years above me to ensure I succeeded like them. I chose my module choices according to other people’s opinions, in the end choosing modules which suited their strengths and not mine!

PROGRESSION POINTER 1 – Only you know your own strengths! A vital life skill is to make calculated decisions yourself, but that does not mean that you should rule out other people’s opinions completely.

I also began to realise after my second year at university that certain people have their own method of studying. Just because you see one individual studying in the library from midday until midnight does not mean that method is the right one for all!

PROGRESSION POINTER 2 – Find the times and routines in the day where you are most awake and most able to concentrate. Do not study straight hours if nothing is going in, take those 15 minute breaks to have a chat…trust me as they will make a significant difference!

Where it started going right!

Don’t get me wrong, the summer holidays after my second year of university was one of the hardest period of my entire life. I received my results that showed that I was being put on a ‘Pass Course’, which essentially meant that the highest grade I could get was a 3rd at university no matter how much hard work I put in.

However, should I be willing to turn things around then I was able to get back on to the ‘Normal Course’. And that is exactly what I did and this was how…

During my 2nd year summer holidays, I managed to write down every module available in my final year at university and enabled me to think about my possible combinations, ruling out those that did not meet my strengths. I remember opening approximately 30 tabs on my Google Chrome (one for each module being researched). A few weeks later, I was in a confident position to submit my module choices for my final year.

Actions to be taken from day 1 of 3rd year – I decided to write down who to see, what actions needed to be taken within the first 2 weeks of university, and every little detail you can think of. I had never been so organised in my entire life and I could not believe how much it had paid off. I don’t just mean towards my final university grade, but I mean towards the continuous organisational skills being applied day to day, something I would have never  have thought of back then!

Actions throughout my 3rd year – I made sure to know what I was doing every week throughout all 3 years of university.Although I was still going out and enjoying myself, I made sure that this was all planned into my schedule as I could not afford one little slip up!

 

End of University

Finally reaching a point after my exams where I thought, “I’ve done all that I can” was one of the most satisfying feelings I had ever experienced; even prior to receiving my results. Therefore once I did receive my final grade from my personal tutor, I can honestly say, I could not be more proud of myself and my achievement of a 2.2 BSc degree with honours!

So my advice is, remember what you did and not what you didn’t do, there is so much more to you graduating from university than just this grade!!!