Adaptability
What is adaptability?
Adaptability means an appropriate cognitive, behavioural and affective adjustment in the face of uncertainty and novelty (Martin, Nejad, Colmar, & Liem, 2013). Adaptability essentially means a state when an individual will modify and change to a better behaviour is needed when in a new environment.
As a student, I am aware I need to adapt with environment well especially during my tertiary education phase to ensure a good future. The reason is why I need to develop adaptability because it is the symbol of wisdom as human being. According to Doctor Michael O’Connor, the co-author of The Platinum Rule, adaptability is divided into two parts such as flexibility and versatility. Flexibility is the willingness to adapt meanwhile versatility is the ability to adapt.
How can it be done? To achieve the first part of adaptability, confidence, tolerance, empathy and respect for others need to be at its fullest. The next part is versatility which an individual who able to recover quickly from difficulties, and have attentiveness in achieve its vision.
Am I successfully adapt to the environment and my role as a university student? Throughout these three months living here as a full-time student, there are so much things to be adapt from various aspects.
It all starts from the preparation to be registered at university. I felt scared and worried at first. It is because it is the first time I stay far from home, all alone. To be honest, I am close to my family as I am the eldest child from three siblings. All kinds of feelings came to me, I am happy to be accepted as UTM’s student but again, I am scared of being alone without no one I know in the new surroundings.
For me, the circumstances for being able to adapt new style of student life are fear, habit and insufficient experimentation. One of my obvious bad habits that needed to change is procrastination. The style of learning and tasks given by university is different compared to when I was a Form Six student. In university, I learn to sort in things according to the priorities to accomplish my tasks well on my own. In other words, time management is essential skills needed by students and it all starts by learn and apply it. I learned that I need to arrange step by step to ensure my assignment and tasks can be fulfilled. I realize time is important as I have once experienced of coming late to class because of shortage of bus. I learned that I need to manage time by get ready to class one hour before it starts as my friends and I really rely on bus. Besides that, I have fear of how my studies will be conducted. I am not doubt of lecturers are effortless, but I am doubt of myself for the first time when I have been registered here. I look around and saw how bright my classmates are. They are brilliant, motivated and most importantly, they are fluent in English and full of charisma. So, I began to slowly learn how to adapt with new style of lecturer’s teaching as they really emphasize on student’s effort to master the subjects. No more spoon-feeding information but self-reliance to know and apply the information to be kept as knowledge in the mind.
Adaptability consists of three dimensions to be mastered as a calibre student which are intrapersonal, interpersonal and technology. In terms of intrapersonal, self-health is very important thus I need to take care of myself on my own. I learned how to be an open-minded person even if people around me does not because I believe in spreading good aura will improve the mood. Personally, I tried to let my voice be heard to be confidence as when I am in secondary school, I am not a proactive student. Due to concern of intrapersonal skills, I tried my best to adapt with student’ life by emphasis on my self-care. I believe a healthy mind and soul will influence my body to feel energetic to go through life.
In terms of interpersonal, it is challenging to adapt with people as I am an introvert person and quite reserved. Hence, people usually misinterpret me as arrogant person. By entering UTM, it is like the turning point for me to improve my social skills. I acknowledge that communication is the key for the doors of university. When I arrived here as UTM student, I try to initiate a conversation with several friends during orientation week and I made it. It was a little success but means a lot to me because I changed my perception on others. It is an improvement for me as I able to interact with others when I am involved with any activities.
To be honest, I am not really skilled in using technology beforehand. I prefer handwritten texts compared to computer. Throughout my studies here, I am able learn to adapt with usage of laptop in doing assignments. Things that interest me is e-learning site is used by students and lecturer as medium to give and submit assignments. I need to learn to use technology to be relevant and versatile student. I learn how to edit video as my assignments requires me to do few videos on Psychology and Humanizing Science and Technology subject.
Economically, I need to learn to use my money wisely. I am aware I am responsible to manage my finance as living expenses tend to increase time by time. Therefore, I learned how to control my expenses by start a budget. For example, I will set target or maximum amount of money that can be used for one day so that I would not run out of budget. I realize how important to make sure I would not waste money.
I acknowledge it is significant to be friend with good people. For example, there are hadith that related with companion. Form hadith Sahih Bukhari, Chapter 34, The good companion and the bad companion can be compared to a perfume seller and a blacksmith. When you visit the perfume seller, he may give you a gift or you may purchase some musk from him and at the very least you leave with a sweet trace of his scent upon you. When you visit the blacksmith, his flying sparks may burn your clothes and you will leave smelling of the smoke from his furnace (Ahmed, Amer, & Killawi, 2017). Friends somehow influence how we present ourselves. I learn that true friendship is more important than materialistic friendship that mostly occur among this generation. Therefore, I am grateful for meeting them and let them be a part of my university life. I am able to adapt to be tolerate and being open with them thus trust can be built.
If do not change, I would be the passive person and people would not rely on me, which is contradict from specialties of being the mediator and a listener. If I do not try to change, it will be useless as university is the suitable place to change and learn about the world. This is where it all starts to be a better person. Plus, in parallel with UTM’s tagline which is innovative, entrepreneurial and global.
In conclusion, adaptability is essential in life aspects as it is needed to be applied through our vary stage of life especially in studies and work. I hope I am able to reach the UTM’s tagline standard during my studies to be an innovative and entrepreneurial person align with the global in work phase one fine day as I realise its importance.
References
Ahmed, S. R., Amer, M. M., & Killawi, A. (2017). The ecosystems perspective in social work: Implications for culturally competent practice with American Muslims. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 36(1-2), 48-72. doi:10.1080/15426432.2017.1311245
Martin, A. J., Nejad, H. G., Colmar, S., & Liem, G. A. D. (2013). Adaptability: How students’ responses to uncertainty and novelty predict their academic and non-academic outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 728-746. doi:10.1037/a0032794