4 steps to looking back at what you have achieved

 Setting goals is the key to success. If you know what you want to achieve and plan how to get there, your final destination suddenly doesn’t seem so scary, it becomes real and achievable.

Combine setting goals and planning with hard work and dedication, and you’ll have the right attitude to succeed at anything you put your mind to; whether it’s educational, physical or life in general.

But what happens when you don’t meet the goals you’ve set and worked so hard towards? Giving up is not an option.

Here are 4 simple steps to looking back and moving forward

  

Step 1: Don’t be so hard on yourself

If you fall short of your goals, the worst thing that you can do is to be too hard on yourself.

Focus on the positives, what you did achieve and how close you got to your goal. Be proud of yourself for what you did achieve.

Step 2: Why?

This can be hard for a lot of people. But be honest with yourself. Why didn’t you achieve your goal?

Maybe the goals you set simply weren’t right for you. The amazing thing about people is that we are constantly changing, and with that our goals change too.

  

Step 3: Learn

Once you know where you went wrong, plan to rectify it. Again, don’t be too hard on yourself, everyone makes mistakes. Learn your lesson and move on. Learning from your past mistakes is a vital part of moving forward.

Step 4: Set new goals

Take what you have learnt about yourself and set new goals. Make sure that they are realistic and achievable. You should be constantly working towards them and always striving to do your best.

Is one of your goals to continue your educational journey?

Eduloan can help you with all of your finance requirements. Since 1996 Eduloan has awarded over 750 000 study loans to the value of more than R4 billion.

Whether it be study fees, registration, textbooks, accommodation, technology or everything in-between, Eduloan offers an end-to-end solution for all your study needs.

Contact Eduloan today about financing your dreams, visit www.eduloan.co.za or call 0860 55 55 44.

The simple truths about hard work:

Sporting athletes or profitable business owners, if you could ask each of them what they attribute their success to, what do you think their answer would be?

Would it be talent, skill, maybe capitalising on their opportunities, or would it be something else? Something that has shone through in everything that they have done and been a deciding factor in what they have achieved.

9 out of 10 times their answer would be hard work.    

They worked hard in developing their talents, worked hard at sharpening their skills and worked hard to be in the position where they could take advantage of their opportunities.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? If you want to be successful, all you need to do is work hard. But that is exactly what it takes to succeed.

4 facts about working hard:

1: It’s not going to be easy

It’ll take time, effort and dedication. Remember, what you put in is what you get out, so put 200% into everything you do.

2: Be patient

Don’t get disheartened if the results and success you’re looking for don’t happen overnight. Be patient and your hard work will pay off.

Things often take time to change and the people around you will slowly start to notice the change in your work ethic.

3: Consistency is the key

Work hard at everything! Not just what you enjoy or are good at already, but more importantly the things you don’t enjoy and the things you are not so good at. 

This is how you really ignite change, when your weak points become your strengths through hard work.

4: Remember to take time out

When you can, take some time to sit back and relax. This is just as important as working hard. Don’t see it as “slacking off”, but rather as recharging and getting ready to work even harder when the opportunity arises.

If you start to burn yourself out, it’ll be even harder to motivate yourself to go that extra mile when you need to.

Let Eduloan do the hard work for you when it comes to financing your education.

Eduloan can help you with all of your finance requirements. Since 1996 Eduloan has awarded over 750 000 study loans to the value of more than R4 billion.

Whether it be study fees, registration, textbooks, accommodation, technology or everything in-between, Eduloan offers an end-to-end solution for all your study needs.

Contact Eduloan today about financing your dreams, visit www.eduloan.co.za or call 0860 55 55 44.

UNISA Registration Dates - Attention 2015 UNISA students! (inforgraphic)

Preparations for 2015 (Infographic)

4 tips to staying calm and focused when writing your exams:

The time has come to write the exam you’ve been studying so hard for. You quietly sit down and neatly position your stationary on your desk. Your lecturer hands you your test paper and whispers “Good luck.”

You take one final deep breath before you hear, “You have 3 hours, you may begin.”

You start off by confidently answering every question, but then out of nowhere, you hit a brick wall. Panic sets in.

Here are 4 simple steps to keeping your cool and maintaining focus throughout your exam.

Step 1: Be prepared mentally

You know your work, you’ve studied hard. Find a quiet place where you can be alone and give yourself a pep talk. Get excited and pumped up before you walk into your exam venue.

Step 2: Backup stationary

Be sure to take extra pens, pencils, rulers, calculators, protractors, everything you can think of. You don’t want the stress of the only pen you have running dry or your calculator battery going flat in a maths exam.

Step 3: Move on

If you get to a question where you don’t know the answer, don’t panic. Don’t spend half of your allocated time trying to figure it out. Simply mark the question and come back to it later.

Step 4: Be positive

Have faith in the hard work you have done in preparation for your exam. Keep reminding yourself of your previous achievements and the obstacles you have overcome.

You can do this!

Are you looking to unlock your potential through Eduloan?

Eduloan can help you with all of your finance requirements. Since 1996 Eduloan has awarded over 750 000 study loans to the value of more than R4 billion.

Whether it be study fees, registration, textbooks, accommodation, technology or everything in-between, Eduloan offers an end-to-end solution for all your study needs.

Contact Eduloan today about financing your dreams, visit www.eduloan.co.za or call 0860 55 55 44.

5 ways to make study finance easier:

Today’s world is all about investments. Investing time, money and effort into something in hope that that investment grows and blossoms into something bigger and better.

Education is the greatest investment of all. If you invest in your education, you invest in your country, you invest in your generation. You invest in yourself.

You are ready to invest in your education. You know what you want to do, what passion you want to pursue. You even already know where you want to go and everything there is to know about the institution that you want to attend.

But there is one worry sitting in the back of your mind. One thing you just can’t figure out, how are you going to pay for all of it?

The sad fact that it will be expensive, you know you will have to make sacrifices. But you also know that you can do it! You may need some help along the way, but you are determined to be the best you can be!

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela

Here are 5 steps to help you finance your dreams:

Step 1: How much will it cost?

In order to finance your dreams, you have to know how much they are going to cost. If you have a number in mind, it’s easier to achieve your goal.

There are many different amounts involved when trying to calculate how much your educational journey will cost. But for now focus purely on the cost of education.

Write down the total cost of your tuition. If the institution hasn’t already, break down the amount into monthly payments so that you know what it will cost you every month to attend.

Add basic learning materials, text books and stationary supplies that you will need for your course.

By now you will have a basic cost of how much money you will need every month for the duration of your course.

Step 2: Budget

No it’s time for the extras. These can add up. Is your educational institution far away from where you are living? If it is you need to calculate the costs of transportation getting to and from your institution.

If it is too far to travel every day, you need to factor in living costs as you would have to stay closer to your institution.

These costs could add quite dramatically to your study costs as you will have to factor in accommodation and food every month.

Now you can work out a budget. How much money you would need every month in order survive while studying.

Step 3: How can you get to your goal?

Now that you know how much money you will need. The next step is how to attain it. Some students are lucky enough to have their parents, other relatives or friends fund their studies.

Other students need to find other ways of financing. Finding a part time job will help you in paying for your living expenses and educational needs while studying.

But be careful that the time dedicated to your job does not negatively impact your time or ability to study. Jobs after study hours or on weekends might be best suited to your new study lifestyle.

If you can’t generate the funds by yourself and your family do not have the means don’t worry because your dream can still come to life.

Step 4: We all need a little help

Because higher education is so expensive, many students need financial assistance. It’s is not something to be looked down upon, but rather something that should be admired.

These are students that are doing everything in their power to follow their dreams.

If you do need financial assistance you can contact your university about applying for a bursary. Alternately contact a company that specialises in educational finance, such as Eduloan.

They will help you with the financial backing that you will need in order to help you unlock your potential. 

Step 5: Make your dream a reality!

Now that you have everything you need, it’s time to work hard! It’s time to repay the people that invested in you. This isn’t just your financial investors. These are the people that have invested more than that.

It’s your parents, your teachers and your friends that have helped you get this far. Now it is time to show them that their investments have paid off through your hard work and dedication.

Make them proud and achieve great things.

When it comes to financing your dreams, Eduloan can help you with all of your finance requirements. Since 1996 Eduloan has awarded over 720 000 study loans to the value of more than R3.7 billion.

Whether it be study fees, registration, textbooks, accommodation, technology or everything in-between, Eduloan offers an end-to-end solution for all your study needs.

To contact Eduloan today about financing your dreams, visit www.eduloan.co.za or call 0860 55 55 44.

7 steps to choosing the right tertiary institution for you:

Choosing the right institution may seem like a daunting task, and rightly so. There are many things to consider when making such a big decision. Some of your big considerations should be; the course that you want to study, tuition, student life on campus and with everything being integrated, you will want to know how the institution ranks in the world.

With all these in mind, you start the journey of looking for the place you will call home for the better part of your adult life.

Here are 6 steps to guide you in making that choice.

Step 1: Which course do you want to study?

Now that you are ready to start studying make sure you choose a course that aligns to your interests and career aspirations. Your course of choice will determine the institution you will attend.

There are some specialised programmes that are not offered by some institutions and the institutions that do offer them are ranked differently.

Your first choice will be the institution that is highly ranked in that field of expertise.

Take the time to read about the different institutions and their offerings, this will only enhance your knowledge of career options.

  

Step 2: Make a list

Make a list of the institutions that offer the field of study you are interested in. Put the list on your wall or door and give constant thought to what will be a big decision. Choosing the correct institution will assist in you one day reaching your career goals.

Ask your teachers and use the internet to help point you in the right direction.

Step 3: Do your research

Once you have your list start researching these institutions. Find out how long the course is, what points you will need in order to apply and when you will need to apply by.

Once you have researched the institutions you are interested in you can reassess your list and narrow it down. 

  

Step 4: Attend Open Days

Most institutions hold open days. If you can, visit the campus. This will give you a better indication of the facilities and the type of people there.

Speak to tutors and current students and see if you can imagine yourself studying there in the future.

You will get the feeling quite quickly if this is the one for you, or if it’s not quite right and you want to carry on looking.

  

Step 5: Pros and cons

Now that you have done your research you can make a list of pros and cons for each institution. Consider things like how far away they are, how much the tuition is and what credits you will receive once your course is completed, in case you want to carry on studying.

Step 6: Make an educated decision

By now you should have a pretty good idea of where you want to go. But if you are not 100% sure yet, don’t worry. Picking the right place for you is a big decision, and it can take time.

Don’t rush into anything. Think it through and ask more questions. Just be sure to take note of the application submission deadline, you don’t want to miss it!

Step 7: It’s about dedication

There’s no two ways about it, your educational journey won’t be easy. It will take hard work and dedication. So you need to be 100% sure that you are ready to dive in head first. Once you have made the decision of where to study, Eduloan can help finance that dream.

Eduloan can help you with all of your finance requirements. Since 1996 Eduloan has awarded over 750 000 study loans to the value of more than R4 billion.

Whether it be study fees, registration, textbooks, accommodation, technology or everything in-between, Eduloan offers an end-to-end solution for all your study needs.

To contact Eduloan today about financing your dreams, visit www.eduloan.co.za or call 0860 55 55 44.