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The Book series

Welcome to the Max Your Degree series of books. They are designed to make undergraduate study more rewarding and purposeful; to Maximise Your Degree chances. Only one book is available right now – Think Smart. Work Smart. It gives you an inside track on how to be efficient and strategic at university as well as how to create for yourself a greater sense of purpose, commitment and progress in your studies. It’s all aimed at getting you to differentiate yourself positively, to value your time and to grow your soft skills.

Part 2 is in the works right now and will look at physical health (including the thorny issue of sleep), as well as mental health. The latter deals with stress, anxiety and depression – all the main (and more) areas of poor mental health that undergraduates tend to suffer from. Look out for Healthy Body and Mind.

The Story – about Max Your Degree

“Hello!”  I’m Michael O’Grady and I’ve been a student in university on three separate occasions totaling seven years. I’ve taught in Higher Education for over 20 years. I know both sides of the teaching/learning fence. I’ve help a wide range of students with their academic studies whilst overcoming: dire family issues; partner splits; loneliness; depression; anxiety; drugs and alcohol. I have also helped quite a few students with disabilities, from: physical handicaps through to colour blindness; dyslexia; dyspraxia; and autism. I’ve consoled, cajoled and congratulated many that have visited my office. Very few things surprise me after all this time and I’ve tried to distill much of this experience in to book series.

I have ended up having a wealth of experience of student issues and the commonly occurring themes in student problems. It naturally seemed a good subject to write about when looking for a simple project to demonstrate ePublishing and print-on-demand to my students. So… it’s turned into a book series that needed lots of planning and research… a bit of a monster in the end.

However, publishing my own book has been very empowering. Holding a finished copy in my hands and comparing it to the double-sided A4 blue-penned pages I started with, is a great feeling of achievement. I’ve been well outside my comfort zone… something I recommend that all my readers do occasionally. I hope the books are of good use to you. They are written in a spirit of openness and a love for the job, an expression of gratitude for a vocation that has shaped the person I am today.

 

Next Steps…

Have a look at the books in more detail. Here’s a quick guide:

  • Part 1 Think Smart. Work Smart – setting you up in any year on any degree course – providing ways of becoming smart; to start differentiating yourself among your peers; and to grow your Soft Skills. Read more about the book here;
  • Part 2 Healthy Body and Mind, – well-fed bodies result in improved critical thinking and memory attributes. Do you need better well-being and emotional resilience? Are you in control instead of your fears and worries? Have a look at Part 2 (to be published soon)
  • Part 3 – in the pipeline – as yet untitled, about money, jobs and careers.