You just got in your desired education institution, and won a spot for your dream degree. Doing so was not even close to easy. You are accursed with lower self-confidence. Well, who wouldn’t – considering that you came from an impoverished background?
Indeed, that confidence and courage starts to recede back to zero-level. The battle to raise that head and strut for higher education starts again. To equip yourself are these titbits of information and reminders:
(a) Potential:
That’s the common denominator between you and your privileged peers. So, where does the difference lie? Maybe, it rests in the picture you have; your peers, with their experience, status and exposure possess a better picture as to how they can reach that potential. If you find that you don’t have the same high-definition picture, then that sums your case.
So, what do you do?
Actively engage in your course – the learning, experience, name it.
Look for a prospective organisation within your uni and invest in gaining skills, or diversifying from your current set of expertise.
Try to meet a variety of people, and don’t just limit your mates from those of the same hood.
These three should help you gain the coveted picture and set you ready for reaching your own potential alongside peers.
(b) Connection:
Okay, so your background may have not provided the right conditions for getting connected with the right kind of network. So what? It’s never too late to establish such ground. You can start with peers, and tutors; and then extend your branches with your part-time jobs, internships, and out-of-uni experiences.
You can also do this by ensuring that you take note and initiate regular correspondence with key people on specific events, like seminars, or workshops. And don’t just rely in keeping numbers; a sealing effect is for you to make yourself remarkable – the sort that will make you entombed in people’s memories. Build a rapport that is both healthy and sustainable.
(c) Quality-orientation:
The number of outstanding marks or mates can easily blind you. Don’t let faulty assumptions mar the foundations of your confidence; rather, focus in the quality by which you possess or are being exposed of. For instance, taking from the equation gained marks, could you honestly tell that you learned something new and are, therefore, confident in implementing it?
How about your buddies? Are you hanging with the booze-addicts, or with the all-too-exclusive snobs? Perhaps, you have mates that are explosive in combination: likes to party, and learn at the same time. The necessity of scrutinising such details is crucial – that is, if you want your confidence to be influenced by the right type of crowd.
Perhaps, a bit of retrospection should remind you why you’re there, in those uni halls and green manicured lawns. You are there to study. You are there to learn, realise your potentials, and find a better route for reaching dreams. It’s a never-ending journey of which self-confidence is considered to be the best ally.