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Studying with giftedness

As a gifted student in higher education, you may experience advantages and sometimes obstacles.  Advantages can be, for example, that you learn quickly and are able to make connections between different learning content and that you can easily transfer from theory to practice.

However, it can also be the case that you get stuck or experience obstacles, for example because there is a difference between the way you learn and develop yourself and the way higher education is organised, because your results are disappointing and you don't know why, or because you experience motivation problems due to a lack of challenge or because you don't fit in with the group.

Characteristics of giftedness

 

  • You have high intelligence and an excellent memory
  • You have a high learning pace, are quick to understand and make big leaps in your thinking
  • You make connections quickly
  • You have a large vocabulary and language skills
  • You understand a person before they have spoken
  • You see connections where others do not
  • You often change interests
  • You have analytical and problem-solving skills
  • You think outside the box
  • You easily apply learned skills in new areas
  • You think up new theories and structures
  • You have great social insight
  • You are critical
  • You have a great sense of justice
  • You set the bar (too) high for yourself
  • You are a perfectionist
  • Not everyone understands you or your humour

There are characteristics of giftedness that you also see in ADHD

  • You can quickly think up solutions and see things from different perspectives
  • You are very creative and resourceful and quick at it
  • If something is very interesting, you can work with super focus
  • You have a good sense of humour
  • You have a strong sense of loyalty and ethics
  • You can suffer from overstimulation.
  • You have little patience and also a low frustration threshold (a short fuse).
  • You are very easily distracted (concentration problems). For example, you dream away during a conversation.
  • You have difficulty planning or organising. You want to start many tasks at once, but then often don't finish them or constantly postpone them.
  • You have difficulty dealing with changes.
  • You have a high activity level.
  • You have a sense of underachievement due to boredom and motivation problems because the goals set are sometimes not achievable.
  • You have difficulty with authority.
  • You are (very) impulsive. For example, you make plans very impulsively.

This is what I deal with

As a gifted student, you may encounter several obstacles.

  • Concentration problems. You struggle to keep your attention on a task that doesn't particularly interest or motivate you and are easily distracted. If the pace is slow and there are many repetitions, it becomes even more difficult. You would like tips and guidance so that you can follow lessons better and actually complete assignments.
  • Difficulty with communication. You find it difficult to make clear what you mean and you don't always understand others well. Or you are not well understood but understand the other person well, you always have to explain what you mean. Working together often goes well but can cost a lot of energy because it requires maximum adaptation and others often think at a slower pace. And sometimes things go really well and you take the lead because you have the overview.  Cooperating in a group is therefore particularly difficult for you.
  • Planning and organising. A lot of structure and good planning can help you get through your studies. You may need help with planning.
    It's hard to stay motivated, you often don't feel challenged (enough). As a top-down thinker, it may help to work with your tutor or a like-minded student to see how you can make the learning content meaningful so that you become or stay motivated.
  • Academic study skills you have not yet developed well, because you have not needed them before and so have not learned 'how to'. But you do have learning skills: you have learnt to play a musical instrument, or can take photographs well? Consider: what can you already do well? How did you do it then

There are tools and solutions that can help you study successfully. Click above on the obstacle you experience and need help with. You will then read more about it and get more tips and tools. Is your hindrance not mentioned above? Take a look at the overview of all obstacles.

This is what I need

Ask for help in time: every student is different and everyone has different help needs. It is important to explore what works for you. Don't be afraid to ask for help in time. Asking for help shows how much you want to successfully complete your studies. Talk to a student counsellor at your programme or faculty and ask what possibilities there are. Write down for yourself what you need and what kind of help you think you will need. Giftedness is not a diagnosis and that can make it difficult to apply for facilities. Discuss with your school what is possible and/or necessary to make inclusive education possible for you.

  • Guidance and councelling. There are various people at the educational institution (counsellors, coordinators, deans, support centres) who can help you. Contact these people if you experience obstacles during your studies. Also find out whether there are counsellors with expertise in giftedness.
  • Courses/training. It may be that, due to problems, you do not perform as well in your studies as you could. This can have various reasons. There are various courses or trainings that can help you with this. 
  • Check out other facilities, adjustments or schemes that might help you.

Tips

  • AD(H)D has similarities with giftedness. The difference is often that the problems started when you started going to school, that you do not always have concentration problems (if you find something very interesting, you can concentrate just fine) and that you notice when others do something wrong.  Also read the tips for AD(H)D.
  • ASD has similarities with giftedness. But as an HB-er with characteristics of autism, you do have insight into emotions, you make (multi-faceted) jokes on an adult level, you are aware of yourself and others and you are able to tolerate changes provided they are honest.
    Is giftedness (in Dutch) the same as highly intelligent? And what are the differences with high sensitivity? This article (in Dutch) explains the similarities and differences.

Tools

  • How do you know if you are gifted? Take the giftedness test.
  • Fontys curiosity meter. Curiosity is a characteristic of giftedness and is called the engine of learning and an accelerator of talent development.
  • Fontys has developed cards (knowledge cards/treatment cards and experience cards) that can help you if you want to start the conversation about your giftedness on your course.
Sharing experiences with like-minded people?
Check the possibilities

Organisations

Through the tool 'Hulpwijzer'[Help Guide], you can find organisations that have expertise on your support needs. Check out the possibilities.