How to Win the University Game: The Art of University-Based Self-Education

Going to university is expensive. It’s an investment of money. It is also a massive leap of faith by everyone connected to your choice. You hope it will be a good experience, but you aren’t sure. You want it to be fair to you and worth the effort, but there are no guarantees. Going to university to study and get a degree or certificate of qualification is as political as it is personal. So beware and be ready! But worry not. You will spend your money wisely for a long-term return. Why? Because there is a game to play, and by picking up this book, you intend to play to win. Playing the University Game shows you the rules of the game, strategies for success on your terms (not those of the university as institution and system) and, most importantly, how to enjoy yourself as a university student, reaping the long-term benefits both during your experience and afterwards. How to win the personal way using political-social knowledge shared with you from inside the university walls.

Helen Lees draws on her research and lived experiences of self-care in education, combining this with the voices of established academics, who between them have a wide-ranging and deeply reflective understanding of the university and university student interactions. Helen takes you into the heart of the mechanisms of university life, revealing key moves you need to make to survive and thrive in the game. She shares with you which actions and attitudes matter to win, why winning matters, how you can win without joining a dog-eat-dog competition. Helen empowers you to see why university education is about you and your flourishing, not the graduation prize but nevertheless happily also all about the graduation prize, which really matters. She skills you with the knowledge you need to avoid stress, to enjoy yourself and get true value for money from the educational product you have chosen.

Helen E. Lees is an independent scholar based in Italy, and Visiting Research Fellow at York St John University, UK.