1. Third Year Step Up Day September 2017
Department of English
Third Year Step Up Day September 2017

2. Welcome Back!

3. Outline of today’s session
Welcome by Director of Student Experience, Dr. Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain
Facing the demands of the 3nd year
‘Things I wish I had known in my third year…’
Looking to the future
Q and A

4. You asked… we did
You asked for fewer s, so we now aggregate all of our information into a weekly sent out every Friday.
You asked for more contact time, so we extended dissertation provision and ran voluntary reading groups in the summer term.
You asked for meetings with alumni, so we ran our Southbank Day for a second year in a row.
You asked for your assessed essay questions earlier, so we released all third-year final essay questions in February to ensure maximum preparation time before the deadlines in May.
You asked for further help with reading loads, so we have been running Reading Labs to help improve your reading habits and offer practical advice on how to keep focused.
You asked for a wider range of courses, so we introduced: The American Gothic, Frankenstein, Writing the American City: Literature of Chicago, The 1930s: British Fiction and the Road to War, The First Person and The Other Side of Enlightenment.

5. Penalties for over-length work:
13 (5) of the College Regulations:
 (5) Work which exceeds the upper word limit set will be penalised as follows:
for work which exceeds the upper word limit by up to 10%, the mark will be reduced by ten percent of the mark initially awarded; 
(b) for work which exceeds the upper word limit by more than 10% but less than 20%, the mark will be reduced by twenty percent of the mark initially awarded; 
(c) for work which exceeds the upper word limit by more than 20%, the mark will be reduced by thirty percent of the mark initially awarded.

6. Facing the demands of the third year
INCREASED ACADEMIC DEMANDS
Writing long essays
Third-year seminars: bring your game
Preparation
Participation
Further Research
Presentations (assessed and formative)

7. Facing the demands of the third year
HOW TO FLOURISH
The third-year effect
Use consultation hours, ask for advice
Personal Tutors
Seminar Leaders
Use academic services
Optional events, talks, trips, etc.
Enjoy yourself!

8. Where to find help: Foundation Studies Academic Skills Resources
CeDAS
Essay Skills Writing Tutor: Dr. Emilia Borowska
MHRA Guidance
Pastoral Support
Your Future
Placements Scheme
Careers and Employability Service

9. Where to find help: Staff Members
Dr. Betty Jay Senior Tutor IN220 Dr. Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain Director of Student Experience IN256
Betty Jay as Senior Tutor:
Dealing with any problems to do with health, capacity to work
Any mental health issues or phsyical health problems, she will liaise with health services and dyslexia and disability
Prudence Bussey Chamberlain as Director of Student Experience
Interested in student relationship with course and campus
Any aspects of experience that are especially strong
Any improvements that you might want

10. ‘Things I wish I had known in my third year …’
Just take each essay, text and addition to the work load one step at a time
Concentrate on yourself this year: it is easy to be swept up in societies and sports but at the end of it all, this year is your most important year and your friends will understand that
Use this year to really find that passion or spark that you can't stop reading or writing about. Whether you go on to complete a masters in this area or find a job related to that topic, finding your "thing" will inevitably improve your experience as well as the quality of your work.

11. Facing the future English and transferable skills
Careers Session on Friday 22nd September
11-12pm, Boiler House Auditorium

12. Transferable skills
When discussing texts, preparing for presentations and researching written work you will develop the ability to: articulate your own ideas and arguments identify key points for debate organize material from many sources in a coherent and structured way synthesis facts, ideas, interpretations and arguments refine, develop and support your interpretations use the lectures and seminars to write effective notes As you work towards deadlines for essays, presentations and projects you will: become adept at planning, organization and self-management. use your judgment to assess multiple sources of knowledge and information produce short pieces of work in which key points are compressed as well as longer writings in which ideas are developed and elaborated in a structured and coherent way
What do you think are the skills you are acquiring on your degree?
The UG Handbook lists the skills we think you are developing.
You can use these when writing your cv or covering letter.

13. Transferable skills
In the seminars, tutorials and study groups you will learn to: justify, defend, refine and adapt your ideas by talking and listening to others. speak confidently and coherently to a group or in a one on one interaction find negotiated solutions to problems and issues develop the diplomatic skills you need to challenge others as they will challenge you lead a team, collaborate with others and present your collective ideas You will learn a range of IT skills such as: information retrieval, evaluating sources and resources identifying relevant archival materials how to sift through varied and sometimes contradictory forms of knowledge editing, blogging

14. Reflective exercise
Think about 5 personal and academic skills you have developed in the last 2-years. What were you like at 18 and what are you like now?
Reflect on your second year: I want you to make a note of two successes and two failures, take some time to make notes of ways in which the failures could be changed
What do you want from this year, and what do you want to have achieved by the end of it?
With all of this in mind, write yourself 5 resolutions for 3rd year.

15. Q and A