Book: Getting Ahead as an International Student

Gives you no advice. Just makes you think, like counselling.
205 pages, ★★★

I’m about to become an international student! I have been accepted to study Education at a major university in Australia, after which, I will be able to register as a secondary school science teacher. Finally, it looks like I have a long-term career!

In preparation for one year of study, I got this book from the library.

This book doesn’t actually tell me anything. It instead uses counselling techniques to ask “what are your expectations?”, “why?” and “it might not be like that, which is okay”. It asked me to write my thoughts on preferred teaching styles and the role of lecturers in education, then quoted me four largely conflicting opinions of students from different international backgrounds. (It’s easy to see, then, how each of these students will be disappointed by at least one aspect of their university experience.) By opening your mind, Getting Ahead prevents the disappointment that arises when expectations differ from reality (the sole root of disappointment, actually).

Getting Ahead didn’t give me any information but it did help—CBT-style. So I’m going to university next year with no assumptions about what it should be like, and hopefully, I won’t be disappointed. ★★★

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