The courses consist of 7 weekly sessions and are designed to help students improve their study habits. They will take place on Tuesdays (13:30 - 15:30), starting 17 November 2015, and Fridays (8:45 - 10:45) with the first session on 20 November 2015.
Develop planning skills
'We have developed this course years ago to help students, who procrastinate,' says Caroline de Koning, a UT psychologist and one of the course trainers. 'We soon found that the issue was largely related to people with potential, who had an easy time at high school, so they never needed to develop planning skills. However, you need to learn these skills at a university. You need to set goals and schedule.'
As a student counselor, Caroline de Koning deals with this issue a lot. 'Even though students are under a higher pressure nowadays, there is always time to watch some series, do the dishes or go shopping - especially when a writing assignment is involved and people need to put their thoughts on the paper. Procrastination is also related to the development of the brain. It takes time for the frontal cortex to develop and support scheduling skills.'
Put it on paper
Whether you are suffering from a lack of motivation or are distracted by other things in your life, the Self-management course might help you to put your studies back on track. The course aims to teach planning skills, the ability to set priorities and to improve concentration. Each one of the 7 sessions has a different theme and the topics cover real life challenges such as dealing with the constant distractions of the internet, mobile phones and various applications.
'The basis of the program is to put your plans on paper and check if you´ve reached your goals. People can try and see what works for them and afterwards they can reach out to us to discuss how it went, what they thought and what they still need,' describes De Koning. 'The main purpose is to teach people how to be their own masters.'
Application
If you would like to join one of the Self-management courses, you can contact the Student Counseling Service or fill out an online application.
