| Ah Caroline... come on in. Sit down. |
| Thanks. |
| So how's the dissertation planning going? |
| Well Dr Schulmann, I'm still having a lot of trouble deciding on a title. |
| Well, that's perfectly normal at this stage. |
| And this is what your tutorials will help you to do. |
| Right. |
| What we'll do is jot down some points that might help you in your decision. |
| First of all, you have chosen your general topic area, haven't you? |
| Yes, it's the fishing industry. |
| Oh yes, that was one of the areas you mentioned. |
| Now, what aspects of the course are you good at? |
| Well, I think I'm coping well with statistics, |
| and I'm never bored by it. |
| Good. Anything else? |
| Well, I found computer modelling fascinating - |
| I have no problem following what's being taught, |
| whereas quite a few of my classmates find it difficult. |
| Well, that's very good. |
| Do you think these might be areas you could bring into your dissertation? |
| Oh yes, if possible. |
| It's just that I'm having difficulty thinking how I can do that. |
| You see, I feel I don't have sufficient background information. |
| I see. |
| Well, do you take notes? |
| I'm very weak at note-taking. |
| My teachers always used to say that. |
| Well, I think you really need to work on these weaknesses before you go any further. |
| What do you suggest? |
| Well, I can go through the possible strategies with you and let you decide where to go from there. |
| Okay, thanks. |
| Well, some people find it helpful to organise peer-group discussions - |
| you know, each week a different person studies a different topic and shares it with the group. |
| Oh right. |
| It really helps build confidence, you know, having to present something to others. |
| I can see that. |
| The drawback is that everyone in the group seems to share the same ideas... |
| they keep being repeated in all the dissertations. |
| Okay. |
| You could also try a service called 'Student Support'. |
| It's designed to give you a structured programme over a number of weeks to develop your skills. |
| Sounds good. |
| Yes, unfortunately there are only a few places. |
| But it's worth looking into. |
| Yes, of course. |
| I know I've got to work on my study skills. |
| And then there are several study skills books you can consult. |
| Right. |
| They'll be a good source of reference |
| but the problem is they are sometimes too general. |
| Yes, that's what I've found. |
| Other than that, I would strongly advise quite simple ideas like using a card index. |
| Well, yes, I've never done that before. |
| It's simple, but it really works because you have to get points down in a small space. |
| Another thing I always advise is don't just take your notes and forget about them. |
| Read everything three times - that'll really fix them in your mind. |
| Yes, I can see it'd take discipline but... |
| Well, if you establish good study skills at this stage, they'll be with you all your life. |
| Oh yes. I completely agree. |
| It's just that I don't seem to be able to discipline myself. |
| I need to talk things over. |
| Well, we'll be continuing these tutorials of course. |
| Let's arrange next month's now. Let's see... |
| I can see you virtually any time during the week starting the 22nd of January. |
| What about the 24th? |
| I'm free in the afternoon. |
| Sorry, I'm booked then. |
| What about the following day? |
| The Thursday? |
| I can make the morning. |
| Fine, we'll go for the 25th then. |
| That's great, thanks. |