ROTTERDAM – Due to the corona measures, students throughout the entire Kingdom are stuck at home. That might be the case till May 19th in the Netherlands, or even longer. How do you stay focused as a student in these uncertain times and achieve your study goals? Educator Jean-Marie Molina has some tips.
As the head lecturer for study success at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Molina had already sounded the alarm about the number of students who experience a delay due to a lack of guidance before the corona crisis started. Caribbean students are the ones who are most likely to suffer because they are far from home.
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“Now that students are stuck at home due to the corona crisis, it’s more important than ever that they have the proper tools to stay focused and maintain their drive when it come to their studies”, says Molina.
Own choice
With her method, Molina wants to empower students and give them control over their life. “It starts with asking yourself why you chose a particular study and the realization that it is your choice.”
“As soon as you accept the situation you’re in you are able to take responsibility for it and work hard for it.”
What if you can’t make ends meet?As a student, you might have lost your part time job due to the corona crisis or you’re incurring extra costs. DUO is offering students who encounter financial difficulties the possibility to (temporarily) raise the amount of money they borrow or receive a supplementary grant. If after having exhausted the previous measures you still find yourself in financial difficulties, you can contact DUO. “We’ll discuss the situation with you and offer an appropriate solution”, writes DUO on its website. You could also apply for an extension of the graduation term. If you wish to know if this applicable to your situation you need to contact the student counselor of your school or university. |
Realistic plans
Making choices, scheduling, and setting attainable goals are important steps in the method that Molina uses.
For example, the head lecturer suggest divvying up a study goal into tasks and creating a timeline which is achievable. “Work with a task list and determine how much time you need per task. Don’t forget to schedule in your breaks.”
Who is Jean-Marie Molina?Jean-Marie Molina is a philosophical educator and head lecturer of study success at the University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam. She also has her own guidance bureau, The Graduation Clinic, which focusses on Caribbean students. As is the case for a lot of her students, Molina moved to the Netherlands as a young student from the Caribbean (Statia). Molina utilizes a method she created called ‘tough love’, an educational method aimed at increasing competencies. “The goal is to empower students, so that they can develop themselves independently.” Molina held a TED-Talk in March about her ‘tough love method’. Do you as a student or parent have an educational question or problem which you don’t know the answer to? Don’t wait any longer and submit your question to educator Jean-Marie Molina via caribischnetwerk@ntr.nl (can be done anonymously). |