The winter semester begins this week at many colleges and universities. Thousands of new students are starting their studies these days. Many different factors play a role in achieving the dream of successfully and happily studying. Prof. Dr. knows exactly how this works. Andrea Hüttmann. She has been teaching at accadis in Bad Homburg in the area of soft skills/social skills since 2006 and has headed the communication skills department since 2007 and is responsible for coaching and consulting services. She advises students every day, gives them tips for successful studies, talks to them about their worries and needs and helps them to be happy in and with their studies.
Ms. Hüttmann, you are responsible for coaching and consulting services at the university. What problems do students come to you with?
The basic question I come across most often is: Which (professional) life is right for me? After all, the students are usually in an orientation phase and don't know exactly where they want to go - which is completely normal and good! Another common problem is self-organization: How do I learn effectively and efficiently? How do I manage my procrastination? And the inner attitude is also a common problem: How do I relieve myself of the pressure? How do I learn to say no? But many also want to appear more self-confident, present more grippingly, be more rhetorically skilled in conversations or resolve conflict situations better.
What advice do you give such students?
No coach can give advice in the classic sense, because only the student can develop the solution themselves. All I can do is initiate the process so that the coachee discovers the path themselves. However, due to my extensive experience and wealth of knowledge, I can assure you of some problems: “If you turn this or that screw, your problem will change and become weaker.” In the session, we will then find out together which screw the coachee is working on can rotate most effectively. But he or she has to do it himself.
What role do the actual performance expectations of students play? Are these too high or too confusing?
The pressure is particularly high at a private university: you have to be young, beautiful and successful. Of course, the pressure to perform quickly increases when comparing each other. In fact, comparing yourself with others is counterproductive. Being successful in your studies has a lot to do with finding your own path: between a relaxed approach to the material and disciplined cramming.
What role do the students’ own expectations play? Do these stand in the way of successful studies...
Expectations play a very important role: your own and those of others. I always tell the coachees. “You are your own standard.” You should always pursue your own goals, not those of others. However, you have to take time to get to know and define them.
What do you think is most important for a happy and successful study?
I like to differentiate between successful studies and a successful professional life. Because there is not necessarily a correlation between them. To study successfully, I recommend diving really deeply into the material and not staying on the surface. Anyone who understands a topic deeply and approaches it from all sides can reproduce it in an exam and still remember it afterwards. Unfortunately, many students are used to one-dimensional learning from school: memorizing what is written in the notebook in order to get good grades.
What surprises many people is that grades hardly count for later professional life. That's why I always tell students: Don't focus on grades, but work on your personality! This includes improving your soft skills, learning effectively and disciplined, training your communication and criticism skills and, above all, getting to know yourself as well as possible. Looking to the left and right is also helpful: reading the newspaper, exchanging ideas with lots of people, traveling, getting involved socially, doing internships or student jobs - in my opinion, this achieves much more than just chasing the best grades.
The book “ Studying Successfully with Soft Skills – Effectively Strengthening Your Personality ” by Andrea Hüttmann will be published at the beginning of 2016.
Prof. Dr. Andrea Hüttmann knows how to successfully complete your studies.
