Reflecting on your skills

A students sits at a round table in a teaching space. They are looking at an open laptop, with a pen poised to write on a notebook in their hand. There are people working, chatting and using computers in the background.

Work through some reflective activities and consider ways to grow your skills and confidence as you progress from your foundation year to your undergraduate degree.

Reflective questions

Ask yourself, or ask a friend or colleague to ask you some reflective questions. It might be useful to note down your thoughts and responses to look at later on and track your personal growth.

I've got better at working independently and referencing, which makes me feel more prepared for next year.

Foundation Year student

What are three things you have learned about yourself so far at university?
What are three things you want to get out of your next year of study?
What three actions might you need to focus on in your next year?

Reviewing past feedback

Read through your assignment feedback from past modules on Minerva and make sure you have saved copies of them.

Read the feedback and write down three areas where you consistently show strengths and three areas that need development. Use these insights to inform how you approach your future assessments.

Developing your skills

Once you’ve worked through the reflective activities, you may have highlighted a few areas that you need to work on.

Consider which skills you want to develop over the summer to prepare for the next academic year.

There’s a range of support available to help you prepare for your studies, such as:

Flying Start: an online resource offered by Skills@Library to support you throughout your studies, including specific advice for your first year of studies.
Skills@Library workshops: covering topics like academic writing, note-taking, referencing and time management.
Skills@Library appointments: get one-to-one support with your studies.
Wellbeing resources: develop emotional skills to help you focus and manage study-related stress.
LLC Skills Team: if you studied your foundation year with the Lifelong Learning Centre, you can still access support during your undergraduate course.

You may also want to brush up on your IT skills using the student IT induction website, which provides information and resources on using University systems such as Microsoft applications, printing, Minerva, and more.

If you want to develop your academic, digital, sustainable and work-ready skills, explore the opportunities available throughout the University on the skills development pages.