HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY MAKE THE LEAP FROM SCHOOL TO HIGHER EDUCATION

But the good news is that there are a number of early alarm bells which, if heeded, can help students manage their risk and prevent them from abandoning their studies, says Peter Kriel, General Manager at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private Higher Education provider.

“Not being successful as a first year student in Higher Education, is a process that begins well before a student actually drops out of Higher Education, as there are various early signs of potential failure that can predict if a student may run into trouble later,” he says.

Kriel says parents and students should note that factors influencing study success can be broadly divided into three categories: Broader socio-economic or personal factors, not properly doing one’s homework before deciding what to study and where, and most importantly, one’s approach and actions as a first year student. 

For students who are already in Higher Education, the third category is the one they need to address now, says Kriel.

He says that students should carefully consider the questions below. If the answer to any of these questions is “NO”, they need to take action as recommended in the solution to each problem, as they might be at risk.

Any good institution of Higher Education should have a first year orientation programme, says Kriel. 

He says the information provided during orientation is intended to guide students logistically, so they can focus on academic work without being overwhelmed by admin. 

“If you missed out on orientation, particularly academic onboarding programmes, you will now have to acquire these skills on your own on top of the day-to-day academic demands.”

Class attendance is probably the single most important contributing factor to success, says Kriel. 

“Of course, reasons beyond your control may cause you to occasionally miss a lecture or tutorial, but if you miss class simply because you don’t feel like it or you had a late night and feel like sleeping in, you are at risk,” he says. 

“If you miss class because you are working on an assignment or task in another module – you may need to plan better. Missing class to do assignments becomes a vicious circle as you miss more classes to do other assignments. This is a recipe for failure.”

It is still early in the academic year, but your performance in any assessment you may have had, be it a formal test or assignment or a task completed in class, is already a clear indicator of your outcomes profile, says Kriel.

For many reasons, not least financial pressures, many students don’t buy prescribed textbooks. 

“Unfortunately, your chances of success are diminished if you don’t have textbooks. Textbooks guide students through the syllabus of a specific module like a roadmap and are often accompanied by additional resources, questions and activities that will enhance the mastering of the required material,” says Kriel.

Moving from a comparatively protective school environment to Higher Education may mean that you find it hard to adapt from the start. This may unsettle you if you subconsciously feel that you are not at the same level of performance as your fellow students. The reality is that these feelings are quite normal, and that many of your classmates probably feel the same.