Exam Success at CSU
Positive Thinking cont...
Where do beliefs cCome from?
Students come to university with preconceptions related to their academic skills. They have a preconceived set of thinking habits, beliefs, self-narratives and attributions which not only influence success or failure but are also used to explain subsequent successes or failures.
If a student holds a belief such as 'those who succeed at university are really smart and don't have to study' or 'it is useless to learn about study habits because I will never succeed', this will lead directly to poor academic results. The unhelpful beliefs lead to ineffective study-related behaviours such as poor attendance, insufficient effort and not seeking assistance, regardless of the actual skills or potential they may have.
I hate maths
For example, if you believe, for whatever reason, that you are poor at maths - this will effect the way you approach any subject that contains maths or statistics. You could go to a workshop which aims to teach basic statistics concepts, but your dominant belief ("I have never been any good at maths") will largely determine how you approach this workshop and also what you allow yourself to understand. This will effect your motivation, persistence, resilience, commitment and eventually your relative success - thereby confirming your existing beliefs which continue to direct the way you study.
However, if you change that existing belief, and it is only a belief, not a fact, this will have a significant influence on how you go about your studies. While this is obviously easier said than done, it is possible and does have a dramatic effect.
If you change your beliefs about your perceived obstacles related to getting through uni, you WILL increase your chances of making it - without any changes to your environment.
Every event we are exposed to is open to any number of perceptions, interpretations and evaluations. All we need to do is develop those particular beliefs that help us get what we want. We need to change from, "this is the way I am", to "this is the way I believe I am."
We see outwards
We don't build our reality from observation, it is the opposite - what we observe follows from our beliefs about reality, we see from behind our eyes. In other words, we do not obtain meaning from events, we give meaning to events. We are meaning-making organisms who innately seek to control and predict.
For example - If it has been a long time since you last studied, this reality can be viewed as an enormous obstacle. You can tell yourself how hard it is going to be, how everyone else will probably be a lot smarter than you and so on, and you will respond accordingly, or it can be viewed as an opportunity to do it differently this time - and you will respond accordingly.
What about the kids?
If you believe you should, or must, still be available at all times to your partner or children and you are in some way an inadequate parent if you are not constantly available - you will respond accordingly. However, if you believe it is possible to be a good parent/partner and make time for your studies - you will respond accordingly. You will more likely take active and proactive steps to develop and organise your life so that study and 'a life' are both possible.
Write a new story
Imagine the difference between two students about to sit for the same exam. One is saying to themselves, "I hate exams, I always get really nervous and forget everything I have learnt and studied, and I know I have not covered all the material, I am just going to have to rely on the luck of the questions."
The other student, sitting next to them is saying to themselves, "I don't like exams and sometimes feel a little nervous, but that's OK, I will still be able to remember enough to get me through, and I might even get a Distinction. I may not have covered every bit of the material, but I have put in the effort and will make it." Same situation, but very different emotions and anticipated outcome and subsequent response to the exam.
Be aware and beware of what you say to yourself, the stories you hold about your academic abilities, about your capacity to study, to concentrate, to be organised.
Remember, sooner of later we all have to give up on the hope of a better past and it is never too late to be what you might have been. The words we use when speaking with ourselves provide us with both a range of possibilities and importantly, a range of limitations.
If you feel anxious about writing essays, or sitting exams, it is because of what you are telling yourself - it is not the essay question or the exam. You are predicting an undesirable future and then waiting for it. You are what you tell yourself you are.
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