As a new member of the External study team, my first study weekend was a real eye opener.
From the outset of organising it, I came to see how large the programme is, and how many people from all over the world benefit from it. From the minute we opened bookings we were deluged with enquiries, illustrating how useful students find the event. For many, it is the one and only opportunity in the year to gain tuition and feedback on their studies, which naturally is invaluable to any student studying alone.
Of the 18,000+ students studying on the EMFSS programmes, we had 500 bookings. It is a shame that more people were unable to come, but that is only to be expected when many of you are living such huge distances away, and have work commitments which do not allow the time off. However, this really made me aware of how dedicated you all are – to be studying alone, in your spare time, and at such a distance is really an inspiration and testament to your commitment to learning.
It is amazing what can be achieved through this challenging programme. Nowhere was this more evident than at the reception we held on the Friday night of the study weekend. Not only was it a chance to welcome students to the weekend, but it was also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of two of our alumni, Ronnie Goh and Arun Thirunavukkarasu, who both received scholarships to study Masters degrees at LSE after performing outstandingly in their undergraduate External degrees.
I had the opportunity to work with Ronnie and Arun over the weekend where they very generously gave up their time to help us run the event, along with another scholarship student, Vidhi Lalchand (who you can see being interviewed about her experience of studying on the External programme below).
I was very interested to hear their stories of how they came to be where they are. Employment difficulties in their own countries had motivated them to study hard, and gain qualifications which would improve their prospects. However, what became apparent to me through talking with them and many of our other students over the weekend, was that intellectual curiosity is a huge motivation for many of you – learning for learning’s sake.
Ronnie and Arun receiving their scholarships from Professor Janet Hartley at the welcome reception.
We had students from all five continents at the weekend, showing how truly global this programme is. For many, the weekend was not just an opportunity to prepare for exams, but also a chance to meet other students and compare stories and tips. I really felt this was equally as valuable as the revision sessions themselves, and made everyone feel part of something greater.
It became very clear to me at the Director’s Open House and Student Forum on the Saturday evening, that many of you have similar experiences of studying through the External programme. There seemed to be a lot of consensus over the challenges you face, and how your learning experience could be improved. Rest assured, in the four months I’ve been at LSE, I’ve seen first-hand how dedicated the External study staff are, and how determined we are to provide the best learning experience we can for you all – we do listen to your views, and where possible, implement any changes you feel would be beneficial. That is to say nothing of the commitment of the lecturers at the weekend. Their enthusiasm and commitment to helping you with your studies was apparent to me as soon as we started booking them for the event. For many of them, this was their third or fourth year teaching at the weekend, and in their feedback many of them have volunteered for the 2011 weekend. It’s clearly not just a great experience for the students!
On the subject of feedback, we’ve had some lovely comments from students who came along. Many of them found the weekend to be hugely beneficial, and were particularly impressed with the study skills sessions, run by Rosie Gosling and Neil McLean. Material from these and other sessions will be available on the VLE shortly, so keep an eye out. A number of appreciative comments were also made about the provision of chocolate biscuits – next year, I will personally increase the ratio of Jaffa Cakes to Rich Tea’s, as they seemed to go down best of all! Naturally there were some criticisms too, which we’re taking very seriously and will address, as far as possible, when planning next year’s weekend. I really hope many more of you will be able to make it to the 2011 weekend. If you can find the time, I truly believe it’s a worthwhile experience.
One last thing. Throughout the weekend, Rosie’s catchphrase was ‘You can do it!’. After my experience of the study weekend I believe she’s absolutely right – you can!
