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Every student in the university faces several challenges. Notably, most of these challenges can be grouped into two categories namely: academic and social challenges. Arguably, the main reason most students put up with the challenges they encounter is because they understand the necessity of the skills that people acquire in the university. In this writer’s case, the dream of becoming a successful businessman is what makes the university life and all its challenges all the more worthwhile. This paper will discuss academic and social challenges and will also discuss the reason this writer chose to pursue the attainment of academic skills even though being a successful businessman does not necessarily require one to have university education.
The Academic Challenges of University Life
Academic challenges are also known as academic rigour in most universities. Notably, the concept of academic challenges is not clearly defined in the literature. The Irish National Student Survey (2013) made an attempt at defining the concept and indicated that it is “the extent to which expectations and assessments challenge students to learn” (p.1). The foregoing definition captures this writer’s experience in the university. Some of the main academic challenges that this writer has faced include adjusting to new ways of learning.
The university workload is also greater compared to the high school workload. Ruiz-Gallardo, Castaňo, Gŏmez-Alday and Valděz (2010) define the student’s workload as “number of working hours, which could consist of attending lectures, seminars or tutorials (contact hours) plus independent and private study, preparation of projects, examinations and so forth” (p. 1). Judging by the foregoing definition, a lot of work is needed for a student to earn credits in an institution of higher learning. Notably, regardless of how universities have tried to ensure that students’ workloads do not overwhelm them, it is important to acknowledge that not all students are the same. What one student considers a heavy workload may be considered by another student as just sufficient. Zuriff (2003) gives more weight to the foregoing argument by stating that learners are different, and as such, they may need different time allocations to attain the same objectives in learning. Notably while Zuriff (2003) and many other studies acknowledge that students are different; the university education system cannot afford to give each student a different time allocation to complete their studies. The foregoing argument perhaps informs the education system’s ignorance of the student’s learning abilities and the subsequent standardisation of learning programs. It is thus the responsibility of individual students to understand how best to handle the course workload. Unfortunately, most students do not always know how to manage the workload, and a significant percentage of them struggle to meet assignment deadlines or produce quality work among other requirements.
Another challenge stems from the requirement that lecturers make to students regarding different types of assignments. Fortunately, various universities offer resources that enable students to understand what is required of them for each student assignment. For example, universities provide a detailed description of what essays, reports, and dissertations are and the results expected from each assignment. Such student resources are not directly given to the students by their tutors; rather, students often have to take the initiative to access the resources from the library or online platforms. Usually, differences in assignments require a student to research on different assignment types, and this is arguably a time-consuming task. Notably, most students have different commitments aside from their studies, which make time management a challenge. With time, however, a student learns how to prioritise their schedule, and this often means that activities that are not considered valuable or urgent are given less priority.
Most universities have a grading system that outlines students’ performances and hence enables the students to assess their learning progress. The grading system will alert the student when their performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory and is thus a pointer to the students regarding the improvements needed in their future studies. While the grading structure is found in most universities’ websites, most students do not acknowledge the significance of the grades that a tutor may award them. They only become concerned when the tutor has already assigned them a grade for their work. Arguably, one of the possible reasons the grading structure poses a challenge to most students relates to the notations that tutors use when evaluating students’ performance. In an example of the foregoing explanation, Stanford University uses the notation ‘NP’ to indicate a failed course (Stanford University, 2014). The meaning of the foregoing notation is not always apparent to students who haven’t consulted the university’s grading resource.
The final academic challenge that students face in the university is optimising the knowledge they get from their tutors. Specifically, most students are unable to optimise the contact hours they have with their tutors. Without the optimal use of the contact hours that students have with their tutors, cooperation and reciprocity between the two parties is not at its best (Cook, Macintosh & Rushton, 2006). Additionally, students do not give prompt feedback to their tutor’s hence making it difficult for the latter to understand the difficulties that the former may be experiencing in the learning process (Cook et al., 2006). Arguably, when students speak up about their areas of difficulty in learning, the tutor can adjust his teaching techniques to cater for such difficulties. In the absence of prompt feedback, however, the tutor assumes that everybody in the lecture hall understands what is being taught. Unfortunately, most students are intimidated by their student colleagues or even the tutors and as such, fear speaking or communicating to the tutor.
The Social Challenges of University Life
Getting into the university requires one to get away from the social environment they were used to, and get accustomed to a new social environment in the institutional setup. According to Mudhovozi (2012), adjusting to life in the university requires one to go through the process of “desocialisation and socialisation (sic)” (p. 251). De-socialisation occurs when the student discards the traits, beliefs, and values that he was used to before joining the university. Usually, the foregoing processes take place in the university setting as new students figure out what is acceptable or unacceptable in their new environment. The socialisation process, on the other hand, takes place when the student is exposed to and takes up new values, beliefs and attitudes that are prevalent in the university (Mudhovozi, 2012). Notably, the de-socialisation and socialisation processes are not always easy for students. Rather, they involve a lot of bargaining and half-hearted letting go of what one was used to and embracing and complying with the university’s social environment. Arguably, adopting new values, attitudes and beliefs in the university is a necessity to survive in the new environment because as Mudhovozi (2012) observes, students risk suffering from loneliness and social deprivation if they do not connect with their peers in good time.
Another major social challenge faced by university students relates to renegotiating their relations with people outside the university. For example, Mudhovozi (2012) notes that clinging to past friends makes it hard for new university students to adjust to their new environment quickly. The author also found out that maintaining close relationships within an intricate family setup makes it more difficult for students to concentrate entirely on their new environment and the demands therein.
The Need for Skills to get a Dream Job
This writer wishes to become a successful businessman in future. The foregoing is notwithstanding the scholarly arguments that debate whether businesspeople are born or nurtured. Although there is no standard definition of the entrepreneurship concept, this paper will adopt Shane and Vennkataran’s (2000 cited by Ikavalko, Ruskovaara & Seikkula-Leino, 2009) definition of entrepreneurship as the “study of sources of opportunities, the processes of discovery, evaluation and exploitation of opportunities and those individuals who discover, evaluate and exploit them” (p. 4). From the foregoing definition, it is obvious that becoming an entrepreneur or a businessperson is not just a matter of being born with a business-minded predisposition. Rather, it requires one to understand where the business opportunities are, how to appraise their viability, and how to utilise them. Additionally, it appears that understanding how other entrepreneurs have succeeded in their respective areas of business acts as a source of knowledge for aspiring businesspeople.
As argued by Sarason, Dean and Dillard (2006), entrepreneurship is a socially constructed phenomenon. The authors further argue that business takes place in the society, and as such, should be studied in societal circumstances. Arguably, therefore, proponents of the argument that opines that businesspeople are born rather than made are wrong. Saranson et al. (2006) note that the difference between businesspeople and those who are not, is the fact that the former seize business opportunities and are not overly indecisive. The latter group, on the other hand, may not take notice of business opportunities, and even when they do, they are averse to risk-taking. Additionally, businesspeople are proactive as opposed to being passive about opportunities that come their way.
Most of the things that this writer knows about being a good businessman have been acquired in school. Case studies are especially a good way of acquiring business skills. They enable one to study real life situations, and the factors that have contributed to the success or failure in business. Different business theories studied in the university are also vital in acquiring the necessary skills for a future desired job, because they enable learners to understand how businesses work, and how the consumer market is structured. Drucker (1994) argued that for any business to succeed in the long-term, its assumptions must always fit reality. He also argued that all assumptions in the business’ mission, environment and competencies must fit each other (Drucker, 1994).
Arguably, this writer is assured of obtaining vital business skills at the university; this will most likely enhance his chances of being a successful businessperson in future. Notably, becoming a businessperson is not a job; rather, it is a path to becoming one’s boss, while earning business profits, a livelihood and attaining one’s financial goals. Instead of becoming employed, a businessperson creates employment for others and as such, he is more likely to have a greater impact on the society.
This paper acknowledges that a handful of successful entrepreneurs, who include Virgin Group’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Branson and Microsoft’s CEO Bill Gates among others do not have a university education. Still, there is no evidence in the literature to support the notion that businesspeople cannot be shaped by a good education and mind-provoking environmental factors.
Conclusion
This paper discusses some of the academic and social challenges that university students encounter. As illustrated in the different points made herein, the challenges are wide and varied. The academic challenges are the most critical because even if a student can overcome social challenges but is unable to overcome the former; his stay at the university would be fruitless. The social challenges are also relevant because they determine the quality of relationships a student establishes. Overcoming the challenges becomes meaningful if the students understand the importance of a university education. In this writer’s case, it is the promise of attaining the skills and knowledge needed to become a successful businessperson that inspires the resolve to overcome any challenges that the writer encounters. As discussed in the section above, scholarly discussions differ on whether business acumen is an inherent trait or one that is developed through education and shaped by environmental factors. This writer’s pursuit of a university education is an illustration that he supports the argument that business acumen can be acquired through learning. Business theories, business case studies, and consumer market theories are some of the knowledge areas that are advantageous to aspiring businesspersons within a university setup.
References
Cook, A., Macintosh, K., & Rushton, B. (2006). Supporting students: tutorial support. Coleraine, Northern Ireland: University of Ulster.
Drucker, P. (1994). The theory of the business. Harvard Business Review. Web.
Ikavalko, M., Ruskovaara, E., & Seikkula-Leino, J. (2009). Rediscovering teacher’s role in entrepreneurship education. Web.
Irish National Student Survey. (2013). Scales and items. Web.
Mudhovozi, P. (2012). Social and academic adjustment of first-year university students. Journal of Social Sciences, 33(2), 251-259.
Ruiz-Gallardo, J., Castaňo, S., Gŏmez-Alday, J., & Valděz, A. (2010). Assessing student workload in problem based learning: relationships among teaching method, student workload and achievement. A case study in natural sciences. Teaching and Teacher Education, 30, 1-9. Web.
Sarason, Y., Dean, T., & Dillard, J. (2006). Entrepreneurship as nexus of individual and opportunity: a structuration view. Journal of Business Venturing, 21, 286-305.
Stanford University. (2014). Definition of grades. Web.
Zuriff, G.E. (2003). A method of measuring student study time and preliminary results. Student College Journal, 37, 72-78.
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