Some of the great philosophers belonging to the Greek civilization have opined that intellect is bestowed upon human beings as a natural faculty. However, it is only through proper education that human beings can not be sure and utilize their intellect for a greater purpose in their own lives, as well as for society. Reaching up to the levels of higher education is in itself a benchmark of success across the world; excelling at the stage of higher education is considered the epitome of success (Guo et al., 2020).
With the unprecedented development in technology and several traditional disciplines losing their market value, the shift towards vocational education is gaining more preference. This, however, does not imply that the prospects of higher education and the guarantee of success are a misplaced premise (Magolda, 2020).
In this particular reflective account and orientation for success in higher education shall be discussed. The purpose of this reflective account is to provide an analysis of strengths and weaknesses identified while pursuing higher education. In other words, this reflective account is likely to act as a self-evaluation, which shall highlight the areas that can be utilized for reaching higher goals in life and also highlight the weaknesses that are supposed to be rectified (Amhag et al., 2019).
The analysis of the strengths and weaknesses following a reflective approach shall be presented through the Gibbs reflective cycle. The reason behind choosing this model is because of the fact that it provides a structured way of presenting the thoughts (Markkanen et al., 2020)
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Analysis
Analysis of the Strengths
Two particular strengths that have been identified during the course of studies are task management skills and critical analysis skills. In the following two paragraphs, these strengths shall be discussed respectively using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle.
The task management skills can be described as learning the art of prioritising the most important tasks, following the salami model of task division. According to this model, the set of tasks to be completed over a period of time must be organized, and the most important ones must be solved before. It could be difficult when done manually, but with the help of technology, particularly Google Calendar, it was made easy. On evaluating the process, taking the help of the technology makes task management easier and more convenient. As far as my analysis goes, using Google tools can be used to manage the daily and pre planned tasks, however in case of emergencies, a break from the schedule can be needed. Hence, applying the salami method of work management with the help of technology can be helpful in terms of completing tasks on time so as to accommodate emergencies as and when required. The action plan envisaged in this particular aspect is to emulate the example of Jeff Bezos. According to him task management should focus not only on securing the immediate interests, rather to have a futuristic vision and take relevant steps to prepare oneself to deal with them from beforehand. This will help me not only to plan my study schedule but also help me to excel in my professional sphere (Magolda, 2020).
The second strength lies in critical analytical skills, which is attempting to find out the discrepancies between the theories and practice. Critical analytical skills, as far as my personal feelings are concerned, are not only a sign of having strong academic understanding; rather, it is also crucial in terms of bettering practical application skills. According to my evaluation, this approach of applying the theoretical knowledge to the practical aspect is beneficial in terms of obtaining holistic results. However, the drawback of it lies in the fact that it could be time-consuming. Upon analysis, critical thinking is academically relevant as it helps one to identify how a particular theory is applicable in the context of the current times. Thus, success in higher education is the prerequisite to professional success. As the most apt action plan in this regard that I shall be embarking upon will involve a deeper analysis of the evolution from the classical to the most recent theories and understand whether they can be applied in future instances or not (Guo et al., 2020).
Analysis of the Weaknesses
Two of the most glaring weakness weaknesses that have been observed involve a considerable degree of communication problem. Secondly, it is regarding registering the information gained for a considerable period in the memory. Similar to the reflective analysis of the strengths, the weaknesses shall be explained using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle.
The first weakness, which concerns communication problems, is not having adequate skills in the English language. My written projects turn out to be better than the projects which involve verbal presentations. Hence, my English language communication problem can be evaluated as not having satisfactory verbal delivery skills. As far as my personal analysis is concerned, it is not the case that I have poor grammatical knowledge; rather, my weakness in the English language is only limited to the aspect of speaking. Therefore, if I am unable to improve my English language speaking skills, it is likely to affect both academically as well as professionally. In order to overcome this drawback, I have envisaged the action plan of enrolling myself in a reputed English language coaching center, which would certify my skills, and the certificate must have a value in the international sphere (Amhag et al., 2019).
My second weakness is with regard to the retention of information in the memory, in other words it can be described as a weakness that emanates out of inadequate memory power. Memorization verbatim and replicating them in the examinations proved to be quite challenging for me. On evaluation I reached the inference that I have a problem in memorising, but that is not synonymous to the fact that I have got weak comprehension skills. The analysis regarding my condition that I have reached is that I do not lack conceptual clarity, but replicating things out of memory can particularly become challenging at times, especially during the times of project presentations. In conclusion, I can say that a certain degree of emphasis on strong memory skills is also required to be successful in the sphere of higher education. In order to compensate for this lacuna, I have decided upon the action plan of enrolling myself in some confidence-building counseling sessions (Boldureanu et al., 2020).
Conclusion
Just like most other human beingsa fair share of strengths and weaknesses are also present in me. With the help of my strengths which I possess, I can definitely be able to overcome the weaknesses that I have. In the near future, two key action plans which on the basis of priority that I must work upon are, improving the English language skills, and developing more confidence in myself. These action plans are practical as well as relevant because they are intertwined to each other and developing upon one shall have a positive impact on developing the other weakness as well. Moreover, there are plenty of resources and assistances which I can avail of from my institution itself in order to achieve the goal of being successful in the sphere of higher education.
References
Amhag, L., Hellström, L. and Stigmar, M., 2019. Teacher educators' use of digital tools and needs for digital competence in higher education. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 35(4), pp.203-220.
Boldureanu, G., Ionescu, A.M., Bercu, A.M., Bedrule-Grigoru??, M.V. and Boldureanu, D., 2020. Entrepreneurship education through successful entrepreneurial models in higher education institutions. Sustainability, 12(3), p.1267.
Guo, P., Saab, N., Post, L.S. and Admiraal, W., 2020. A review of project-based learning in higher education: Student outcomes and measures. International journal of educational research, 102, p.101586.
Magolda, M.B.B., 2020. Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Markkanen, P., Välimäki, M., Anttila, M. and Kuuskorpi, M., 2020. A reflective cycle: Understanding challenging situations in a school setting. Educational Research, 62(1), pp.46-62.
