The Goal of Studying

What is Studying?

 

Wilson, the Philippines E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year for 2004 is also a MBA student. (Isn't is amazing?)

 

Anyways he writes in his blog on Rethinking your goals.
 

The next time I ask my kid why he is not studying, he will most likely reply its because there is no exam or assigned homework.  Maybe I need to remind him that that studying is not for the teacher, the parents or the exams.  It is to learn something!

As always he makes a very important point. I realise this now, once I have started doing my MBA.

 

Doing my MBA was always a decision to learn, to understand, to reflect and to network. The way the MBA course is structured at my Uni,and at most of the Uni's in the developed world, it is geared towards understand and learning on your own. This is where it becomes very different from the MBA courses back home in India or other parts of Asia.

 

I see that a lot of International students (mainly from Asia) at my Uni are having trouble to cope with the courses. For one, the lectures are just that "lectures". They are on a loosely built curriculum on which the lecturer lectures, conducts discussions, highlights the important points and allows the class to form its own ideas.

 

The students need to research on their own, find their own books and chapters from the suggested readings. The assignments are not exams at the end of the course. They consist of class room participation, presentations, critiques, and individual and group projects. This is way different from what we studied a long time back in Asia.

 

However as I start doing my course, start studying and reading and trying to do my assignments I realise that this new way of studying is making me explore, find information, making me independent and empowering me to be responsible for my learning.

 

It is you who is responsible for your learning, The lecturer is a facilitator, a person who guides you in your quest for learning. The passion for learning in you will make you learn and nothing else.

 

This new way of studying is exciting for me. I need to find out if I can make it fruitful too!