Free «Skills Needed for Successfully Obtaining a Degree» Essay Sample

It takes a combination of skills for a degree pursuant in any field to achieve academic success. Being in possession of these skills is mandatory for attaining academic success. (Pritchard, 2008 pp. 115) asserts that these skills not only increase one’s life opportunities, but also enhances the chances of an individual to lead a better life in future. All degree pursuant must integrate these success skills in their personal lives to achieve positive results.

In order for a student to obtain his or her university degree within the required time, he or she must have self-monitoring skills (Jensen-Mackinnon, 2011 pp. 60). This can be attributed to the fact that parents and teachers will be making fewer decisions for the students at this level of their academic lives. At the degree level, students should be prepared to deal less contact with their tutors as well as higher levels of academic competition. This means that individual students will be compelled to become more responsible with their learning (Kaplan, 2003 pp. 78). In addition to self-monitoring skills, students at this level must have excellent study skills that may be helpful to them as they make the transition from high school to the University. Excellent study skills include taking short notes while reading and setting aside appropriate study times and place. It has been proven that such attributes that culminate from good study skills help improve learning (Peters, 2007 pp. 90).

Networking is another vital skill that any degree pursuant must possess. Frender (2004 pp. 155) argues that this skill enables students to be acquainted with their instructors as well as their classmates. It goes without saying that this acquaintance makes it easier for a student to seek help from his or her peers and instructor outside of class (National Association of School Psychologists, 2002). Additionally, well acquainted students can easily benefit from project collaboration, study groups, as well ad catching upon missed class notes and assignments (Cottrell, 2008 pp. 72).