How are you really supposed to act at a lecture, except listening attentively? Professor Jan Teorell has some handy tips for new students about what questions not to ask and how to be successful with your studies.
“Curiosity and challenging the facts. These are two traits that are important in a student and good to remember before starting university”, says Jan Teorell, professor in Political Science.
“A curious student doesn’t settle for what is taught in class, but also wants to put it into a larger picture. But challenging the facts is also important, meaning that students don’t always just have to accept what we teachers tell them, but instead raise their hand when they don’t agree”, he says.
Jan Teorell expects the students to put a lot of their time and effort into their studies. The students show their curiosity through what questions they ask during lectures. However, sometimes the questions are irrelevant to the lecturer, and therefore it is a good idea to take a few extra seconds to think the question over before raising your hand. Jan Teorell gives an example:
“ ’What’s going to be on the test’ isn’t really a question that inspires a teacher”.
He talks about how he was very stubborn and very study-motivated during his time as a student. Discipline, according to him, is important in order to be successful in your studies.
“It’s important to be able to stay focused for those last few hours and ignore the phone ringing or your friends wanting to hang out”.
But he also says that every test is not a matter of life or death, and that you can go far with a good night’s sleep and planning your studies.
“A test is in reality just a test, there’s always more”, he says.
Translation: Emily Eriksson
