As you move away from school and into a university environment, the way you study and your essay writing changes. You are now seen as an adult, and it’s up to you to make sure that you succeed in your studies. To effectively study, make sure you can deal with these points:-
Solitude – During the course of your university career, you will have to spend a lot of time on your own studying. Some people love studying alone, but for others, you may feel a complete lack of motivation. Work out how you feel about solitary writing time and how you can best deal with it.
You set the schedule – Organizing your study time is now your own responsibility. No one else is going to stand over you to make sure you are getting your work done. Learn to plan each study day. What do you want to achieve this term? Perhaps you would like a 2:1 in your essay grades. How much work will you need to do to achieve this? What will you need to read? Work it out and then make a plan.
Ask for help – Again, because you are now treated as an independent student, tutors will assume you are getting along fine unless you tell them. It is unlikely that anyone will be checking up on you to see if you understand all the material on the course. If you need help it is your responsibility to ask for it.
Study space – Make sure your desk is comfortable. If you have a desk in your room, organize the space so that all the reference books, stationery and equipment you need is close to hand. If your accommodation is difficult to work in, find a library where there is a quiet, well-lit, comfortable space to work in.
Filing – At GCSE and A’level you may have started to store your work in arch lever files and deliver coursework in neat folders. At university, you are going to be snowed under with documents. Make sure you keep your notes, any handouts or other course material carefully. Organize a filing system that works, where you can quickly put your hand on any material you need.
Be firm – Finally, make sure that everyone understands your need for quiet time to study. Just because your best friend misses the French class every Thursday afternoon, doesn’t mean that you have to follow them. Be firm and don’t let people persistently interrupt you.
Are you having any other problems with your study time? Let us know by commenting below. If you need more help with essay writing skills, you might want to study custom essays. To help you assess the usefulness of these materials for your revision, have a look at our blog on custom examples.
