Making The Most Of Your Pre-U Days

Your pre-university life is the best time for you to polish as many skills as possible. Nashrah Ghazali shares her insights on some of the skills you can obtain.

Before you graduate from your pre-u course, you need to equip yourself with the proper skillset to prepare you for the future. Here are some of the skills you can start gaining or polishing, today:

Communication

Communication is the most important skill for a person to have. It’s the backbone of all soft skills. It’s something that you do every single day. Communication is more than just having conversations in person, it also applies to communication on other mediums like social media, emails and phone calls. Now, you might want to know: how do I amplify my communication skills? There are so many ways to do so, you can start with something easy, like making eye contact during your face-to-face conversations, as this shows a sense of confidence and you are acknowledging the other person’s presence in the room. When in university, you will have to give many presentations, which will slowly build up your ability to speak to a big group of people confidently. Or, you can even take up communication courses to get the theoretical lessons. Good communication skills are crucial in order for you to get your message conveyed effectively and accurately.

Multitasking

Multitasking is the ability to do more than one task at a time. It’s an amazing asset to have, as it saves your time and it boosts productivity. Although it’s a valuable skill to have, it will take some time to get used to. The more you practice, the easier it is for you to do it. This skill is often associated with productivity and it is believed that possessing this skill can improve your performance. However, research has found that multitasking is more of a time-sharing activity instead of a juggling activity between tasks.

Here’s what you can do to improve your multitasking abilities:

1. Make a to-do list and keep it in hand. 2. Prioritise your tasks. 3. Work on related tasks simultaneously. 4. Pay full attention and avoid distractions. 5. Know your boundaries by delegating tasks to others.

6. Practice, practice, practice.

Adaptability

We tend change our lifestyle to match our world which is constantly evolving. This is what adaptability is, it’s a skill that refers to one’s ability at adjusting to a new situation. As you will be transitioning from a pre-u student to a degree student soon, adaptability skills are important for you as you need to cope with your new surroundings. The new normal is another example of where adaptability comes into play. When the lockdown was implemented in Malaysia due to COVID-19, students had to adapt to being quarantined at home as well as learning online from home. Adaptability is a natural skill but it can also be developed and mastered over time and with practice.

Here are some ways to do so:

1. Be observant by carefully monitoring any changes in the environment. 2. You need to have the willingness to learn. 3. Avoid procrastinating at all costs. By delaying your adjustments, it will be harder for you to adapt to the change.

Teamwork

Teamwork is a vital skill to have, especially in university. There are many deadlines for you to meet, there are individual assignments and also group assignments. You need to work closely with your team members for group assignments in order to get your assignments done by the given time. In a group work, you should be very clear with your team members when delegating the workload evenly. You need to know your capabilities to give your very best to the team. Listening to your team members and taking their thoughts into consideration is also very important. Commend your group members’ work when they deserve it; this will help them with their confidence too. You will probably have to work as part of a team in many areas of your life, so make the most of your pre-u days to practice your teamwork skills. The better you work with others, the more your team will thrive.