Case Studies: Kate
At school, Kate’s high academic performance resulted in pressure to study science in her A-Levels, going against her interest in other subjects. This is where the initial crisis in confidence began when she realised she wouldn’t achieve straight A’s. Her sense of ‘not being enough’ continued through Kate’s degree into her career. When Kate was at the highest level in her industry, she felt unsatisfied and had imposter syndrome. “I would never be enough until I sorted out the problems in my head that made me think that.”
Kate enrolled in an online Masters in Psychology at the University of Wolverhampton. When applying for a loan, she saw that she would be eligible for the DSA. Kate was surprised by how easy the next steps were – from getting her doctor to complete the paperwork to booking her assessment.
“Learning is hard enough, so if you can access support that will make you more successful, what is the downside? Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it is a sign of supreme strength.”
The word ‘assessment’ has such a negative connotation that she instantly felt quite nervous. But Kate knew she needed the help and was instantly put at ease by her assessor. She found her assessor, James, to be very human and empathetic. He helped her fill in the gaps with gentle prompts, and it felt ‘comfortable, quick and painless!” Kate’s course started in November, and she had everything in place by January.
Kate’s support included Brain in Hand, which Kate describes as ‘receiving a warm hug’. After a 25-year gap in education, Claro Read has been really useful for studying while parenting. This software has helped her manage the balance of workload and family life (and not feeling like she is failing at both). Zotero “saves her life every day” as it reduces the number of referencing mistakes she was making.
Having a mentor to support Kate and allowing her to be open and share her fears, concerns, and worries have been fantastic. As Kate juggles an online course and being so remote without any peers, she has replaced this with “these wonderful human beings who take time out of their day to hear me. The downside is the amount of time I end up getting self-help instead of studying!”
Advice
Kate refers to a lovely acronym for Fail. First Attempt In Learning. There is no such thing as failure; it is your first attempt at learning. “Learning is hard enough, so if you can access support that will make you more successful, what is the downside? Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it is a sign of supreme strength.”
Case Studies: Kate
At school, Kate’s high academic performance resulted in pressure to study science in her A-Levels, going against her interest in other subjects. This is where the initial crisis in confidence began when she realised she wouldn’t achieve straight A’s. Her sense of ‘not being enough’ continued through Kate’s degree into her career. When Kate was at the highest level in her industry, she felt unsatisfied and had imposter syndrome. “I would never be enough until I sorted out the problems in my head that made me think that.”
Kate enrolled in an online Masters in Psychology at the University of Wolverhampton. When applying for a loan, she saw that she would be eligible for the DSA. Kate was surprised by how easy the next steps were – from getting her doctor to complete the paperwork to booking her assessment.
The word ‘assessment’ has such a negative connotation that she instantly felt quite nervous. But Kate knew she needed the help and was instantly put at ease by her assessor. She found her assessor, James, to be very human and empathetic. He helped her fill in the gaps with gentle prompts, and it felt ‘comfortable, quick and painless!” Kate’s course started in November, and she had everything in place by January.
Kate’s support included Brain in Hand, which Kate describes as ‘receiving a warm hug’. After a 25-year gap in education, Claro Read has been really useful for studying while parenting. This software has helped her manage the balance of workload and family life (and not feeling like she is failing at both). Zotero “saves her life every day” as it reduces the number of referencing mistakes she was making.
Having a mentor to support Kate and allowing her to be open and share her fears, concerns, and worries have been fantastic. As Kate juggles an online course and being so remote without any peers, she has replaced this with “these wonderful human beings who take time out of their day to hear me. The downside is the amount of time I end up getting self-help instead of studying!”
Advice
Kate refers to a lovely acronym for Fail. First Attempt In Learning. There is no such thing as failure; it is your first attempt at learning. “Learning is hard enough, so if you can access support that will make you more successful, what is the downside? Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it is a sign of supreme strength.”
