The Wyrd Learning Podcast - Understand Uni Life: Recent Episodes
Dr. Tracy Dix and Dr. Alex Patel @Wyrd Learning
Hi! We are Alex and Tracy, with our combined 40 years' experience of teaching students & supporting learning at various UK Universities, we will give a unique insight in to life at University, illustrated with humorous anecdotes of our academic trials and tribulations. PLUS hacks to get what YOU want from University!
Are you a student eagerly anticipating your A-level results and wondering what's next? Or a parent unsure of how to guide your child through the university Clearing process? Look no further! Welcome to "The University Bound Podcast," your ultimate guide to navigating the exciting journey from A-levels to university life. Join us as we delve into the crucial topics that will help you put yourself in the driving seat of your future.
Drs. Alex Patel and Tracy Dix, seasoned academics and university counselors, will be your hosts, sharing their wealth of experience and expertise to provide you with invaluable insights.
As the much-awaited A-level results day dawns upon us, anxiety and excitement fill the air. We'll walk you through the typical process of receiving your results and discuss the various avenues available, regardless of the outcomes. Whether you achieved the grades you were hoping for or not, there are options, and we're here to help you find the right path.
Choosing the right course at university is a pivotal decision that can shape your academic and professional future. We'll explore strategies to reaffirm whether your chosen course aligns with your passions and goals. Moreover, we'll guide you through identifying alternative courses that may spark your interest, broadening your horizons for a fulfilling university experience.
When applying to a university, it's essential to take the lead in gathering information. We'll equip you with a comprehensive list of questions to ask potential universities, allowing you to assess if they can offer the environment and resources necessary for your personal and academic growth.
For those who might not have received their desired results or are reconsidering their initial choices, clearing can provide an alternative route to university. We'll demystify the clearing process, offering practical tips to prepare for this fast-paced phase, ensuring you make informed decisions.
From choosing the right course to preparing for clearing and excelling at university, "The University Bound” podcast episode is your compass for this transformative journey. Our aim is to empower you with the knowledge and confidence to make informed choices, setting the foundation for a successful university experience.
Accompanied by a downloadable workbook: FREE Download
Alevelresults #Ucas #UCASclearing #alevelclearing #Alevelstudent #startinguni #unicourses
In today's episode, your hosts, Alex Patel and Tracy Dix delve into the fascinating world of time management, transforming their personal experiences and challenges into valuable lessons for all. They tackle the tricky reality of how traditional time management techniques often fall short, emphasising the power of a personalised approach. Listen to Tracy's captivating story of completing three assignments back-to-back during an all-nighter, demonstrating her undeniable tenacity but also the pressing need for better time management.
They explore the untapped potential of flexibility and creativity in assignments, like Tracy's out-of-the-box pomegranate-shaped poem, revealing how unconventional methods can make academic tasks more engaging and manageable. Tune in as they share their unique perspectives on studying smart, not hard, debunking the myths of last-minute cramming and advocating for consistency and understanding over rote memorisation.
From insights derived from neuroscience to the potency of question-based learning, they shed light on strategies that stimulate deeper engagement with study material. Moreover, they stress the power of note-taking for enhanced comprehension and retention, and the crucial balance needed in academic writing between specificity and generalisation.
But it's not all about academics; our hosts acknowledge the importance of including personal downtime in your schedule. From socialising to taking a walk while listening to a podcast, they advocate for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. All these lessons, anecdotes, and strategies converge to a critical point – the importance of time management and the need to make it an individualised, flexible, and dynamic process.
So, grab a pen and paper, prepare to be inspired, and most importantly, manage your time efficiently!
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As always, we’d love to hear what resonates most with you in this episode (#12) so reply or DM us on social media to let us know. If you enjoy the podcast, please share, and leave us a 5*review so we can make it better and reach more students. If you don't like it, well, you know, there are lots of other podcasts out there...
We can’t believe that our LIVE ‘Starting Your First-Class Essay’ Workshop is already over! It was a really valuable session and we’ve really enjoyed running it. In this workshop, we talked about how your goal to do well in your assignments is connected to the student you are being, as you manage all the different opportunities available to you at University. We want you to become the self-assured 1st class student that you know you’re meant to be: One who prioritises all these opportunities, unapologetically, in ways that align with your goals One who has confidence in your individual perspective One who has clarity of how to present persuasive, evidence-based arguments that impress your tutors. We dived into deep discussions on how 1st class students approach their assignments and analyse their essay topics. This is just the beginning… As promised, here’s the replay. It will be available until 11.59pm GMT on Sunday 6th November 2022. Alright, we hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, do get in touch with us at team@wyrdlearning.co.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can! Follow us for more tips and musings: Instagram Facebook Tik Tok
The start of term is always very fast-paced, with so much information being thrown at you that it can all be very overwhelming. Many of you will have received your Module Handbooks, and information about assessments, perhaps even including your assignment topics. So we’ve released an extra episode this week to share some time-saving tips to help you read and study more effectively. If you’re a regular listener, you’ll remember that Kia Morant came on our show to share her experiences of settling into Uni. This week, she reveals some really invaluable strategies for learning about areas of your discipline that your lecturers don’t cover, synthesizing information, the rule she applies for deciding how many items to include in a reference list, and MORE!
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By the way, we’d love to hear what resonates most with you in this episode so DM us on social media to let us know. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a review so we can make it better and help more students. Email us a screenshot of your review to team@wyrdlearning.co.uk and we’ll enter you into a weekly prize draw for a 30-minute study consultation with one of us, absolutely free!
Reserve a place in the Starting Your First-Class Essay workshop NOW! Click here to register: https://academy.wyrdlearning.co.uk/starting-your-first-class-essay
One of the first things you’re given on your university course is a reading list, or resource list, as traditional academic sources, such as books and journal articles aren’t the only items to feature on reading lists in the digital age that we live in. So, how do you know how to select from this list when you’re preparing for seminar discussions or starting on your assignment? This episode will break all the information down for you, provide suggestions on what to do when you don’t understand your recommended reading, and start to touch on how to critically evaluate academic sources as well. We’re also excited to announce a release date to sign up for our FREE live webinar in just a few weeks’ time, so tune in to get all the details!
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By the way, we’d love to hear what resonates most with you in this episode so DM us on social media to let us know. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a review so we can make it better and help more students. Email us a screenshot of your review to team@wyrdlearning.co.uk and we’ll enter you into a weekly prize draw for a 30 minute study consultation with one of us, absolutely free!
We’re excited to welcome a special guest to the Wyrd Learning Podcast. Kia Morant is a third-year student studying Politics and Economics at Aston University who will be sharing her experiences of what it was like to start at, not one, but two Universities, as she changed course after a year at Goldsmiths in London. We’ll ask her what works for settling in, how she knew which course was right for her, and what she wishes she'd done differently.
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By the way, we’d love to hear what resonates most with you in this episode so DM us on social media to let us know. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a review so we can make it better and help more students.
Do you have to go to everything in Freshers’ Week to make friends, or can you opt out if a Ball, going clubbing or nights out aren’t your thing? Think about it. If you don’t like clubbing and drinking, then going to those events is probably going to attract people who DON’T like the same things as you. Everyone has a filter in the first few weeks, no one needs more barriers to getting to know others. It will take time to establish long term friendships and habits that suit you. Have a listen to our latest episode to help you make the most of your relationships at Uni.
This week's episode focuses on helping you navigate all the new interactions with others at Uni, so that you can build long term friendships with people you feel comfortable with, and who bring out the best in you. It’s a good one, so be sure to tune in!
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By the way, we’d love to hear what resonates most with you in this episode (#4) so DM us on social media to let us know. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a review so we can make it better and help more students.
An interview with Dr Catherine Armstrong, involved in clearing and admissions at Loughborough University. Catherine describes what clearing is like and offers advice on how to approach it.
Hello, and welcome to another episode from Alex and Tracy at Wyrd Learning. Today, we're going to hear the personal and candid story behind name 'Wyrd Learning'. It really tells you what we are all about and how we hope to help you learn the skills and approaches you need to use University to reach your goals. Let us know what you think, and PLEASE, PLEASE ask us some questions that we can explore in future podcasts.
Hello dear listeners! We are absolutely thrilled to release this pilot episode of our brand new Wyrd Learning podcast! Today, we introduce ourselves Alex and Tracy, talk about the work we do in a UK University and reflect on what it was like starting our degrees way back when we were teenagers. The most stressful bit was worrying about making friends and creating a supportive environment in which we could thrive in our studies. We both found this support through flatmates and extra-curricular pursuits - there are certainly many sports and activities to choose from at university. We talk about how our hobbies have both taught us about learning, as well as distracted us from our studies, with some tantalising takeaways for you on how to prepare more effectively for exams, free up more of your time and reduce stress levels.
Resources mentioned:
Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep
Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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