Reasons for considering postgraduate study

I really enjoy my subject

This is a highly motivating reason to do a higher degree. It’s worth considering the long-term implications of your choice though. Does your choice of course fit in with your career plans? All further study programmes will enable you to develop skills that you could market to an employer but some will be of much more use to you than others.

I need it to pursue my chosen career

Some career areas do require a professional qualification, for example, law and teaching. For other employment areas a postgraduate qualification, although not essential, will provide a distinct advantage to applicants, particularly when competition for places is fierce. Research the area of work that interests you to identify whether a postgraduate course would be necessary or advantageous.

I want to convert to a new career area

Many postgraduate programmes provide a way of converting to a particular career area. These may be taught Masters or diploma/certificate qualifications.

It is also possible to convert to a new career area through employment. Many recruiters offer employment opportunities for graduates of any discipline and provide the relevant professional training.

I don’t know what to do - this will give me more time to decide

Past experience suggests undertaking a further year or more of study to get careers inspiration is not necessarily helpful. If you choose a course for this reason, it is important to use the time to actively research your options.

My tutors suggested I take this course

Students are sometimes offered postgraduate places by their tutors, possibly with funding attached. This can seem a very tempting offer but it does not mean it is the right option for you. Is the course or research programme of real interest to you and does it link with your career goals? Postgraduate study may be a good option but is staying at the same university the right choice?

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What do employers think about postgraduate study?

Some employers place great value in the advanced knowledge and skills developed in a postgraduate course. They may also conclude that doing further study demonstrates determination to succeed in the chosen career area and that the candidate is prepared to undertake further training.

However, for other employers a postgraduate degree may offer no advantage or have a negative impact. Some common employer concerns about candidates with postgraduate degrees include: specialisation and narrowness of interest; difficulties in integrating into a business environment; and unrealistic salary expectations.

Because of these differences of opinion, it is important to do as much research into your prospective employers as possible before enrolling.

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Researching your options

Have a look at explore types of jobs, job adverts and other literature from employers and professional bodies. Also talk to employers at fairs or other recruitment events.

Consider the following questions:

• Is a postgraduate qualification essential or desirable?
• Does the employer value relevant experience more than a postgraduate qualification?
• Do they welcome qualifications from all institutions or are they only interested in select institutions?
• Would having a postgraduate qualification place you ahead of candidates who hold only a bachelors level degree, or make-up for not possessing the necessary grades at A level or first degree level?
• Would you receive a higher starting salary or advance more rapidly within the organisation with a postgraduate degree?

technics to do well in test

To do well on tests you must first learn the material,
and then review it before the test.
These are techniques to better understand your material:

Learning

• Take good notes in your class lectures and textbooks
  

• Review your notes soon after class/lecture

• Review notes briefly before the next class

• Schedule some time at the end of the week for a longer review

Reviewing

• Take good notes
  about as your teacher tells you what will be on the test

• Organize your notes, texts, and assignments
  according to what will be on the test

• Estimate the hours you'll need to review materials

• Draw up a schedule
  that blocks units of time and material

• Test yourself on the material

• Finish your studying the day before the exam

tips for visual learner

“Learning, for visual-spatial learners, takes place all at once, with large chunks of information grasped in intuitive leaps, rather than in the gradual accretion of isolated facts, small steps or habit patterns gained through practice. For example, they can learn all of the multiplication facts as a related set in a chart much easier and faster than memorizing each fact independently." ¹

Organizing:

• The visual/spatial perspective is the organizing principle
  Perfectionism for visual/spatial learners is a well-ordered and -designed space with each object in its place and appealingly so.
  They are uncomfortable, even restless, encountering incomplete or unsettled situations
• With an instinctive sense of balance and completeness
  they can tell when something is out of alignment, or not truly horizontal or vertical.
  They are adept at working with mirror images and rotating images in their minds, and strive to bring order by constructing, arranging, color coding, or fixing things

Observing/experiencing:

• Visual/spatial learners are good at seeing the “big picture”
  of both simple and complex systems. Overviews or summaries are their specialty, often at the expense of remembering details or constructing sequences
• Personal presentation (dress, grooming, even gestures) is important
  Their own presentation/dress is as important as what they notice about others. They establish eye contact when speaking, though can be distracted by their surroundings. So also background sounds can disrupt their listening skills, and they often doodle during lectures, at meetings, etc.
• They prefer to read and work under subdued or natural lighting
  and in comfortable conditions, and are uncomofrtable with glare/harsh lighting, rough clothing, drafts, and temperature extremes

Learning strategies:

• Focus on the learning objectives of the class
  Meet with the teacher to understand and apply these to your situation
• Request advanced organizers
  to help you relate to new material with what you already know
• Look for opportunities to work with, manipulate and/or engage new material
  • Hands-on approach manipulating forms or objects
  • Using visual clues or landmarks rather than (verbal) sequential steps
• Look for visual/spatial dimensions in your study:
  Example: geometry has more visual components than algebra in mathematics;
  physics rather than chemistry in science;
  graphic applications in computer science and technology fields;
  studio arts in the creative arts, architecture, mechanics, aeronautics, engineering, urban planning
• Seek out independent and open-ended studies,
  problem-based learning, case studies, or ways you can be more active with the material to be learned and have alternative strategies of assessment or demonstrating learning

Study habits

• Always have the "big picture" before you
  especially when studying its parts or details
• When trying to remember things,
  close your eyes to get a “picture” or image of the information to facilitate recall or use flash cards with limited information so that you can "picture" details and concepts
• Once a concept is grasped,
  Practise applying the information to new situations or progressive stepped learning
  in place of routine drill and practice that will challenge your attention span
• Use mind or concept maps (rather than outlines)
  to organize writing assignments to visualize ideas, their connections, sequences, and conclusions
  Brainstorm using illustrations, mind maps and models
• Look for alternative sources of visual material when you study
  videos, overheads and PowerPoint demonstrations, graphs, maps, and media programs

Using technology:

• Take advantage of the visual elements
  of the computer in studying or locating information
• Take advantage of stop/start/replay
  in mediated programs
• Produce your own mediated programs
  in place of written reports
• Develop and apply graphical and/or three dimensional models
  to understand new material

For lectures

• Avoid visual distractions
  in classroom seating (windows, open doorways, etc.)
• Look for opportunities to break up lectures
  with reflective though active exercises (question-write-pair-share) and brain-storming sessions
• Illustrate your notes
  with images and graphs
• Review and organize your notes after class
  with concept maps
• Keep and organize a file of handouts
  and summary documents after lectures for review
• Request "guided notes" or blanks in handouts
  that provide you with cues for completion

Reading text books

• Look through titles, charts, graphs, and pictures
  to get an overall idea of the content before reading a chapter
• Use color highlighers
  to emphasize important material
• Write or illustrate in the margins
  to emphasize important material

Test taking/assessment

• Write out/illustrate steps in a sequence
  as a checklist to keep on task
• Think of visual cues and associations in remembering information
  (You may also see the location of an answer rather than the answer itself!)
• If you are challenged by standardized and/or timed tests,
  meet with your teacher to discuss alternatives for assessment
• Essay and/or short answer tests, or class presentations/demonstrations may be optional assessment techniques

technologu from nature--part 2

Hypodermic syringe		Snake fangs, also mechanism used by viruses to inject into cells
Antibiotic medicines		Immune system
Hydraulic shock absorbers		Knee joints
Dust filter		Nostril hairs
VCR, magnetic storage media		Memory, recording/viewing images
Gyroscope, top		Planetary rotation
Magnets		Lodestone
Internet		Brain, also Society
Mirror		Reflection on water
Wheel		Animals that curl and roll (armadillo)
Plastics (of many varieties and qualities)		Carbon-based life forms (of bone, cartilage, tissues, transparent lenses, wood, feathers, etc., and all bio-degradable!)
Gasoline (expensive, dirty)		Methane (free, clean)
Barb wire fences		Briar bushes, thorns
Bridge supports and weight distribution		Elephant / Dinosaur skeletal framework
Robots		Humans
Nuclear energy or bomb (fusion) / Lamp		Sun
Electric and propulsion motors		Mechanical components of flagellum of bacteria & protozoan
Theme Parks		Nature / State Parks
Helicopter		Bumblebee / Hummingbird / Maple seed pods
Camouflage clothing		Camouflage skin and fur, chameleons
Armor		Exoskeletons
Movies, cast, film crew, director		Life, people, angels, subconscious
Night lights / street lights		The stars and the moon
Baby formula		Breast milk
Water filtration techniques		Same filtering techniques as found in nature and swamps and rivers - charcoal, silt
Fishing		Angler fish
Sponge (synthetic)		Sponge
Satellite		Moon
Cloning experiments		Reproductive systems, asexual reproduction
Pulleys, fulcrums, and levers		Foot joints and ligaments
Smoke detectors		Noses
Cup		Cupped hands
Greenhouse		Earth
Clock		Solar system
Fishing net		Spider's web
Magnifying glass		Droplet of water
Water filter		Kidneys
Irrigation canals		Roots in plants
Fires set to aid heath in agriculture		Naturally occurring forest fires
Protective environmental suit		Egg shell
Key and lock		Enzyme and related substrate
Suspension bridge		Spider web
Shock absorbing helmet		Woodpecker skull
Fix-a-flat for punctures in tires		Coagulants found in the blood
Smoke screen as a defense		Octopus ink
Fuel & air for mechanical engines		Food & air for biological engines
Chemical warfare		The Bombardier Beetle
Snowshoes		Penguin's feet
Frames of Buildings		Skeleton of living organisms
Weaving in a basket		Weaving in a bird's nest
Medicine		Herbs
The inventions of Da Vinci		Leonardo Da Vinci
Religions with rules about God		A relationship of love with God
Evolution of civilization and technology		Evolution of the universe and life
Beaver dams		Water dams
Dreams		Movies
Circular appearance of sun and moon		Wheel
Pliers, tongs		Lobster/crab claws
Fur coats		Fur coats
Hang gliders		Butterflies
Vitamin pills		Fruits and vegetables
We invent nothing		We simply discover
Interlocking teeth of a zipper		Linkages between barbs in feathers
Radiator, heat exchange system		Elephant's ears, blood vessels in a whale's tail

technology from nature

Our Invention	or	nature?
Camera (lens, focus, iris, film)		Eye (cornea curves to focus, iris, retina)
Microphone		Ear drum
Amphitheatre shape		Outer ear shape
Pump		Heart
Valves		Heart valves
Plumbing and hydraulic systems		Circulatory system
Communication / telephone cables		Spinal cord / nervous system
Ball joint		Shoulder joint
Windshield wiper		Eye lid
Wiper fluid		Tears
Knife		Incisor teeth
Mortar and pestle		Molar teeth
Woodwinds		Voice box
Computer / Electronic circuitry		Brain
Computer program		DNA
Bubble level		Inner ear tubes for balance
Construction crane (jointed arm, scoop)		Arm and hand
Honeycomb reinforcements		Bee's honeycomb
Solar panel (energy from light)		Leaf
Fish hook (reverse barb design)		Bee stinger
Light stick (light from chemical reactions)		Firefly, glowworm, deep sea creatures
Airplanes (airfoil wings, hollow struts, tail)		Birds (airfoil wings, hollow bones, tail)
Submarine ballast		Fish (ballast bladder)
Sonar		Bats, dolphins
Paper from wood pulp		Wasp hives
Velcro		Thistle burrs (actually inspired Velcro)
Blu-blocker sunglasses		Orange oil in eagle eyes to improve acuity
Suction cups		Octopus
Inboard propulsion (boats)		Squid
Batteries (electricity from chemicals)		Eel
Navigation by stars / magnetic fields		Bird and butterfly migration
Music		Song birds
Anesthetics		Venoms and poisons
Swim fins, paddles		Webbed feet (frogs, ducks)
Water cooled systems		Sweat glands and perspiration
Core aeration for health of lawns		Worms, insects and moles

study skills poster

study smarter..less time 1st edition

Learning Holistically

The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Metaphor – Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.
2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.
3. Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.
4. Leave No Islands – When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.
6. Find Patterns – Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.
7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8. Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.
9. Build Models – Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
10. Learning is in Your Head – Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.