You will have many teachers, tutors and lecturers during your journey through education, but it is worth remembering that each event that happens in your life acts as a teacher in its own way; teaching you some invaluable life lesson or skill. Although education is extremely important, experience is needed alongside this to help mould you in to a well-rounded individual who is not only desirable to universities, but also to employers and even friends, family and future relationships. We look below at why experience is a great teacher.
University Applications
If you’re still yet to start the university application process, you may not know that it contains a section known as the ‘personal statement’. This is where you sell yourself to a university with the things you’ve achieved throughout your life. You will predominantly talk about your education experience, but a section of this statement, typically at least 30%, is for you to explain what else you have done to make you a perfect fit for the university that you are applying for.
This may be extra-curricular activities such as debating club, sports teams that you have been a part of, volunteer experience you do or a part-time job that you hold. Each of these demonstrates different skills that you possess and shows your eagerness to further yourself as an individual. Universities do not just look for those who can ace their exams but also those individuals who have shown themselves to be motivated and committed to their own personal development. Therefore, this means that experience will act as one of your most important teachers in getting you into the university of your choice.
Employment Applications & Interviews
Along these same lines, employers want individuals that are well-rounded. Most positions will require certain skills, and these skills generally can not be learned in a classroom. If an employer is looking for management experience, you can talk about the time you were captain of the school rugby team. And if they want to know how you’re a reliable individual you can show them that you’ve been working at the same part-time job for over a year, complete with a glowing recommendation from your previous employer.
Gaining Life Experiences
Studying is important as the foundation of your knowledge, but not everything you learn in class can be applied to life, and you don’t get all the lessons you need from school or university. Things such as having and maintaining a job, learning to save money or how to appropriately manage a relationship, are vital lessons to life and are best learned through experience.
Alongside this, you can read about other countries, cultures and systems on the internet or learn about them in your classroom, but the best way to see what else the world has to offer is to go and experience these things for yourself. Experiences are extremely impressionable, and can sometimes shape you in a way that teaching in a classroom is unable to. As one famous quote reads, “experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.”
It is important to focus on both your education and your wider life experiences while you are progressing through the education system; it’ll set you up nicely for both your university and career applications, as well as making you a more interesting, well-rounded individual. Be sure to get stuck into as many activities and societies as you can; don’t turn anything away until you’ve tried it as you never know, you might like it! As they say, “experience is the greatest teacher!”