Personal Development Planning (PDP)

Make your university degree work for you!

Personal Development Planning (PDP) will help you chart your learning journey and keep track of your personal and professional development. It will help you make the most of your time here to improve your future career options and achieve your goals.

PDP is planning your personal and academic development, organising your work and lifestyle to achieve better grades.

Developing a habit of reflection and planning can help you improve your grades!

How will it help me in the future?

Your degree course isn't just about your interest and ability in the subject(s) you are studying, but also about developing a range of skills, which are crucial for completing your course successfully. If you don't record what you have been doing, and identify specific targets for development, you may well forget these experiences, and your learning may not be so effective.

• Thinking about what you do makes you better at doing it!
• Writing down what you have done or plan to do makes it clearer in your mind and easier to explain to other people.

In the workplace most employees have to look back at their progress and identify goals for future development and progression, so it is a habit worth developing! In fact, all students in UK Higher Education are being encouraged to reflect and record their learning in this way.

The ability to analyse your experiences and articulate the skills you have used will prove invaluable throughout your career - from obtaining a sought-after work experience placement, completing graduate application forms, explaining your personal development at interview, or convincing your employer that you deserve promotion!

So, keeping a regular record will help you to:

• Become more aware of the skills you already have
• Identify and develop those skills you need to succeed
• Provide a useful source of information and evidence when applying for jobs
• Focus your thinking about possible career options
• Evaluate your strengths, aptitudes, and interests, and build a strong CV
• Reflect regularly upon your progress and longer term plans

Reflective writing is a very good way to evaluate what has happened and how we can learn from these experiences. It has made me think about what my strong points are, how I have grown as a person, and how I can use the skills gained at university within the working world - it has been a very worthwhile process.

Combined Honours student