Self-study skills

The slogan “university is self-study” is known and memorized by most students, but many opinions at the discussion expressed concerns: how to understand self-study correctly? How to self-study effectively? What skills are needed when studying?Regarding this issue, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa believes that self-study must first start with self-awareness and self-planning. Next, besides knowledge, learning skills are extremely important factors and must be continuously honed throughout the 4 years of study. The more proactive and positive you are with your studies, the faster you will acquire good skills such as: document reading skills, report writing skills, critical thinking skills, problem analysis and synthesis, presentation skills, teamwork skills, etc. These skills not only help students acquire knowledge but also help them become more confident and mature in solving practical problems that arise. Talking about the limitations of current students, Associate Professor Dr. Duong Xuan Son criticized: “Many students are lazy to listen in class. Then, they are also lazy to read documents, lazy to do research on their own. That limits the expansion of their knowledge because in the short lecture hours, teachers cannot say everything”. Ms. Kim Hoa also commented: there is a difference in learning outcomes between classes, students who are conscious of listening attentively to lectures and those who are not focused on listening in class. And of course, high scores often belong to students who are more conscious, starting with consciously focusing on recording the knowledge that teachers exchange in class. Very much agreeing with the above point of view, Dr. Hoang Khac Nam affirmed: “Self-study is the biggest difference between university study and lower levels of study, it is shown in the ability to study independently, to think, to select so that the acquisition of knowledge is most appropriate and effective for each individual’s own conditions”. The teacher also shared many specific experiences about independent learning when pointing out the important stages of learning that cannot be skipped, including: learning in class when listening to lectures - taking notes - reading documents, reviewing. Accordingly, listening attentively in class has helped to learn and understand 30%; knowing how to write down in your notebook what the teacher taught according to your own thinking, on the basis of generalizing and grasping the most important things has added 20% effectiveness. But don't just listen to lectures and take notes, students need to go home to read reference materials, think deeply, and synthesize knowledge in the form of modeling. Only then will it be 100% effective. Mr. Nam also reminded students to pay attention to their reading skills and reference materials: “Don’t read too much, just read one or two books but they are useful and necessary. Don’t read too much, but choose the most important phrases and sentences to underline and remember. Thanks to that, students can also practice their ability to detect important issues, recognize core information, and summarize the content of documents logically and quickly.” As the youngest lecturer participating in the discussion, Dr. Nguyen Tuan Cuong impressed the students with his academic achievements at two schools at the same time with good results, obtaining a doctorate at a young age, and other outstanding achievements in research and training. The teacher also confided about his self-study experience: “When I started university, I had a very early orientation about my career. I boldly studied at two schools to avoid “wasting” 4 years of university even though I knew it would be very difficult. What I want to share with you most is how to study well in a limited amount of time? That is, I always have to prepare lessons before each class to have an active listening mindset when I have more or less understood the problem. I even have a mindset of “refuting” and “criticizing” what I receive”. Not only that, when he knew the schedule of the next subjects, he proactively researched the knowledge content and reference materials of those subjects in advance. Although this way of studying is quite difficult, with no time to relax, it is very effective. In addition to questions about skills and learning methods, first-year students soon expressed their concerns and worries about their future careers, about applying professional knowledge to specific jobs in the future. A student of the Faculty of History shared: Is it possible to become a writer in the future? Or a student of the Faculty of International Studies expressed his desire to become a journalist? These concerns led to interesting responses from teachers. Dr. Hoang Khac Nam humorously said: “I can foresee your future as a writer specializing in historical novels. And many students of the Faculty of International Studies have become excellent international news commentators, surpassing even students majoring in Journalism”. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Cuong gave advice: “If you cannot do what you like, then learn to love what you do. Any knowledge is useful for you in life as well as in your future work. As long as you have the will and determination to pursue the career you love, you will know how to supplement the knowledge and skills you lack”.