I don't know about you but September for the majority of my life has been an exciting time of year. It signifies the start of the academic year, and with that a fresh start to achieve great things. Did I mention September allows excessive stationary hoarding also. This year I shall be starting my final year of university with the Open University whilst also working four days a week. During the last two years, I have madly balanced work, my degree, and social events whilst achieving pretty good grades. I thought I would share some of my tips to boss the next academic year, and start September with a positive push.
1. Prepare Early
I always try and prepare as much as humanly possibly, before the official course start date. That way you can start the year feeling confident and calm. An easy trick is to print all exam/assignment papers in advance. If they are available before you start, it is a good idea to have a little skim and notice themes and trends. That way when you officially start you know what material to revise and learn as a priority. It is also ideal to prepare your study area, check you have all the stationary you need, and that your laptop is still working (after one summer break, my old laptop died and I had to spend my first couple of days in Currys PC World!).
2. Explain your new commitments to friends and family
It is important when you start to study, that you allocate a quiet and peaceful work area to fully concentrate with little interruption. It is also good to inform those close to you, that you may not be as readily available as your carefree, social butterfly days of the summer and to be mindful of your studying arrangements. This really applies if you are sharing a home or living space with people. Once people are aware, and understand your routine study can start both drama and hectic free.
3. Organise your Diary/Calender
If you don't have a diary or calendar right now, buy one. Deadlines will soon be creeping up on you and you definitely do not want to leave things until the last minute. As soon as you know day schools, assignments, and exam dates jot them in a diary. That way you can allocate time in advance to tackle an assignment or exam revision without a mad panic just before. It is also time consuming doing this at a later date, when your in the depths of studying.
4. Talk to your classmates
If you know people who are taking your module or course, then fantastic. Drop them a text, call or an email and catch up. If your anxious about starting to study, you are definitely not alone and will be comforted by your peers who are all in the same boat. If like me, long distance learning can mean you do not know many other peers then find social media groups that align with your course. For example at the Open University hashtag your module code or #OUStudents.
5. Allocate free time and something to look forward to
Now all my tips would be the ideal, but perhaps more importantly remember that you need to allocate breaks, and have other things to look forward to and focus on that are completely unrelated to studying. As the famous saying goes, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".I know come Easter time, when I am in the middle of my academic year I shall be going away for a few days for a complete brain rest.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my tips, and feel free to add your own tips and tricks in the comments too! I start officially studying again on October 7th, and shall update you all soon.
Melanie :)
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