Giftedness (series of four sessions)

Giftedness is often seen as just having high cognitive abilities and an IQ above 130. But gifted people are not only cognitively strong. They are also characterized by a richly varied emotional inner world, creativity, sensitivity and need for autonomy.  As a gifted student, you may encounter all different sorts of challenges, like feeling different from peers, lack of motivation or setting too high bars and related themes like fear of failure, low self-esteem and procrastination. 
 

…Maybe you never felt understood and you have the idea something is ‘wrong’ with you.
…Maybe you never failed an assignment before, but now in university, you have failed some and that makes you feel incapable and not smart at all…Was everyone who called you so smart before, probably wrong?
…Maybe you never have developed any study skills or time management skills, because you never needed them.
…Maybe you’re overthinking your decisions, you doubt a lot and do not feel gifted at all.
…Maybe you possess such a high level of (too) detailed knowledge, that passing an exam is difficult.
…Maybe you procrastinate because you do not feel challenged at all. … or because strangely, you’re looking for an extra challenge by trying to find out if you can still pass an assignment starting (too) close to the deadline? if you start only a few hours before the deadline? …or you procrastinate because it feels more comfortable to explain you didn’t pass your exam because you started studying too late…after all, how painful would it feel for a person from whom excellent scores are ‘expected’, to fail an exam she/he did study for?
 

It is often not easy to talk about giftedness and the related challenges, so you may not start a conversation about this topic yourself. If you experience your giftedness brings up challenges in your study and you would like to encounter these challenges more constructively in addition to sharing your experiences with like-minded people, this may be the training for you. In four meetings, we will have a closer look at the influence of your giftedness on your personal development and your studies. An ‘official’ diagnosis of giftedness is not needed. If you recognize yourself (partly) in the characteristics of giftedness, you’re welcome.
 

After the training, you will…
…have an alternative framework regarding stereotypical thinking about giftedness.
…have insight into the different struggles and associated underlying processes that you as a person with characteristics of giftedness may encounter.
…understand which aspects may support you in your personal development and your study.
 

‘Training giftedness’ and ‘Peer to peer meetings giftedness’.
What is the difference?
Peer-to-peer meetings are informative sessions in a low-key atmosphere organized 8 times a year. In each peer-to-peer meeting, different themes related to giftedness are discussed and experiences are shared. Anyone who recognizes themselves in characteristics of giftedness is welcome to join, even if they don’t experience any specific problems regarding their giftedness or only want to meet like-minded peers. You can register separately for each peer-to-peer meeting.
The (small group) training is intended for students who experience more challenges in the field of giftedness and who want to encounter these challenges more constructively in a small group environment. When you sign up for the training, you commit to attending all four meetings and working towards your personal goals. If you are not sure what suits you best, you’re always welcome to join one of the peer-to-peer meetings first.

Practicals
This upcoming training will start in February 2025 and consists of 4 meetings in total. 
February 4th, February 18th, March  11th & March 25th.  
Location: Student Services Center (SSC), Bonnefantenstraat 2, room B1.35a.

 

Training - Giftedness and study-related challenges.
Part of the project ‘Shining a light on bright students, UM’
Trainer: Anke Smeenk, student adviser FHML and specialist in giftedness (ECHA)

 

 

Register now