Studying Part Time Without Stress

By Teresa De Fazio, St Leonards: Allen and Unwin, 2002, 206 pages, paperback, $19.95. Reviewed by Val Colic-Peisker in the June 2002 issue.

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Unlike many other books, it is clear who the audience for De Fazio's book is. As Allen & Unwin's editors, driven by inevitable financial considerations certainly figured out, the number of tertiary students in Australia is not only large but also increasing, and this trend will continue. This year 189,000 places have been offered to undergraduate students at Australia's forty-three institutions of higher educations. According to DEST statistics, 75,000 of these places have been taken by 'non-school leavers', or what we usually call 'mature-age students'.

The latter I see as a special niche market for this book. They are as a rule more serious and more intrinsically motivated about their studies, and arguably more ready to invest a handful of dollars into a useful guide to which they can repeatedly refer. Collecting information around campus, as well as taking part in 'friendly gangs' that exchange handy tips, may be more difficult for mature-age students than for school-leavers; these activities, in spite of many readily-available student services, require time, which may be harder to find for someone who is burdened with real life issues such as work or family. This is not to say that school-leavers would not profit from De Fazio's book, especially those living with families or otherwise where they cannot get useful information or share experiences about tertiary studies. School-leavers are simply less likely to resort to books as a means of orientating in the new world of university study. Mature-age students may find the last Chapter 'Using technology' especially useful.

Let me say, however, that I am not a great believer in self-help books. The genre of 'how to do something or other' guides that de Fazio's book belongs to usually have a reasonably narrow focus on a particular activity (from studying to sex), and therefore more chance (than the sweeping 'Absolute Happiness' books) to first, actually provide some useful tips beyond common sense, and second, avoid nonsense. After reading Studying Part Time Without Stress I can say that this is a useful guide to tertiary studies, as well as a 'user friendly' one, as Allen & Unwin claim in their media release. The text is accessible. There are a lot of titles and subtitles, and virtually no long chunks of text, which most twenty-first century students will appreciate, as the concentration span of the student population seems to be getting shorter.

The structure and the priorities in the book titled Studying Part Time Without Stress came to me as somewhat of a surprise. Studying part time implies that students have other time- and energy-consuming commitments on top of studying, such as family or work or both, and that juggling these probably presents the main challenge. Thus I expected that more space in the book would be devoted to the topics such as 'juggling work, study and life' or 'keeping motivation levels up'. De Fazio does devote some room to these topics in such chapters as 'Chapter Three: Organising your study time'. But most of the book's twelve chapters are devoted to the nitty-gritty of academic skills -- reading, writing, referencing, note-taking, presenting in class -- which are equally important for part-time and full-time studies. Why then potentially reduce the sales of the book by qualifying it as a guide to a 'part time' study? The nine chapters on academic skills are thorough, but there are more comprehensive texts on every one of these skills, and there is also a plethora of student services and study materials, from study guides to courses especially designed to help students with learning, that students, once they are in the system, can use free of charge. If this book has new editions -- as the university environment and its social context change quickly these days -- the author and the publisher may want to fix this imbalance in emphasis. Alternatively, this book could be called 'Getting a degree in Australia' or some such.

Chapter Three contains most of the issues that I think should be central in a book with such a title, but these issues did not get enough room in the chapter. Most sections of Chapter Three deal with the very issues that differentiate part-time studying from full-time studying, but they are covered super-succinctly indeed. Since the book has no less than twelve chapters plus appendices, I wonder why are sections such as 'Juggling work, study and life (emphasis mine), 'Maintaining a good diet and exercise routine' (excellent advice, by the way) and 'Getting on with lecturers' crammed together in the same Chapter titled 'Yourself as learner and critical thinker'?

And then this word, stress. Life without stress is not possible, not even desirable. Stress is our physio-psychological response to a challenging situation, which starting university study certainly is. Stress mobilises our energies; without at least some stress we can hardly master new skills or make any progress (the old adage 'no pain no gain' fits in here). Avoiding excessive stress and the accumulation of it by not giving ourselves rest and relaxation should be avoided, however. I believe the rules of good academic writing would have required that the 'stress' from the title be very briefly defined and explained. The poor word is overused and often very sloppily used -- why not be a bit more strict in a book that teaches the reader academic skills?

Citation

• Val Colic-Peisker. 'Review: Studying Part Time Without Stress by Teresa de Fazio' [online]. Network Review of Books (Perth, Australian Public Intellectual Network), June 2002. Availability: <please cite the web address here> ISSN 1833-0932. [accessed 23 May 2013].

Back Cover Blurb

• A user-friendly guide to part-time study for university and college students.
  
  If you're studying part time you're probably juggling study with work or family commitments or both. You need to make every minute count.
  
  Studying Part Time Without Stress shows you how to make the most of your time from day one. It explains how you can identify your own learning style and take advantage of your strengths. It gives you the tools to develop the academic skills you need, and suggests short-cuts you can use every day.
  
  With tips based on the experiences of the many students she has counselled, Teresa De Fazio explains how to:
  
  * Choose the right course
  
  * Maintain your motivation
  
  * Avoid stress
  
  * Use technology effectively
  
  * Read efficiently
  
  * Write essays, reports and theses
  
  * Give presentations
  
  * Do well in exams
  
  Written for students taking courses at all levels at college and at university, Studying Part Time Without Stress will help you succeed in your study-without losing control of your life!

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  Reviewed by Gillian Dooley in the May 2003 issue.
  
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