Common mistakes to avoid: Tips for international students

Credit to Author: Geneviève Beaupré and Susan Qadeer| Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2022 13:46:08 +0000

Mistakes can be upsetting and embarrassing and can lead to challenges. Students make some mistakes that can occur more frequently in educational settings. Here are some common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Plagiarism

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, plagiarism is “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source.” There can be serious consequences to plagiarism, from receiving a warning to expulsion. Most professors will discuss plagiarism and how they expect students to credit others’ ideas in their academic work. There may be differences on how this is handled in different schools and different subject areas. Knowing what is expected in every class is important so mistakes can be avoided. When in doubt, use quotation marks for direct quotes and cite the source.

Procrastination

There are a number of bad habits that can interfere with your studies. One is delaying your work until there is great urgency to get it done and little time left to do a good job. Some students can’t seem to get started until the last minute. This means that reflection, checking their work, proofreading and other finishing touches are sacrificed. It also means that when a real emergency arises, there is no time for schoolwork and deadlines are missed.

Managing your workload

Other mistakes that can lead to academic mismanagement include taking on more courses than you can effectively manage and/or committing to too many part-time working hours and not allowing all the study time you need.

Another common issue is not seeking help when you need it. This could include help with understanding course material or personal problems interfering with your ability to concentrate or manage your time effectively. Post-secondary schools are usually equipped with teaching assistants, peer tutors and counsellors with expertise on helping students avoid these mistakes.

And sometimes there are unexpected life situations that demand a student’s attention. It may be an illness, a family problem, or even good news like an important interview. If you know you won’t be able to meet an academic obligation, it is far better to let your professor know before assignments are due rather than after.

Mistakes due to cultural differences

New immigrants and international students can inadvertently make errors because of the differences between what is customary in their own culture and what is expected in the Canadian environment.

If you are unfamiliar with Canadian post-secondary life, mistakes may be even more likely. Being aware of others’ culture is important in a very multicultural setting such as a post-secondary school. If you are unsure how to handle a situation, observing and asking are useful. If you make a mistake, an apology is often enough. Also, unless you are friends, it is generally not acceptable to comment on others’ ethnicity, looks, accent, religion, etc.

One situation you want to be particularly careful about is anything that can be considered as sexual harassment such as any type of unwelcome sexual remarks or physical advances. Most school have policies against sexual harassment and engaging in this behaviour may lead to disciplinary action and possibly being expelled. To avoid any problems or negative impact on your studies, it is important to familiarize yourself with what consent means in the Canadian context. If you need more information about this, speak to a counsellor at your school.

At the end of the day, if you do make mistakes, it is important to know who can help you and what consequences you can expect. Every school will be a little different in how they handle things. Your professor or counsellor can help you avoid or address some mistakes, but if the matter is critical and could hurt your academic progress they may suggest you use a student government advocate, an ombudsperson, or the services of a lawyer. Minor mistakes may be managed on your own but if there are legal or other major issues, you will want to seek help. Better still, become aware of common student mistakes and avoid them.

The post Common mistakes to avoid: Tips for international students first appeared on Canadian Immigrant.
http://canadianimmigrant.ca/feed