University can without a doubt be one of the greatest times of your life. You’re exploring a new place, making new friends, experiencing new social situations… it’s so great that sometimes you forget that you’re also actually there to learn and study. With rigorous, demanding degrees, it can feel overwhelming and like it’s impossible to stay on top of your work. Here are 3 tips I’d like to share with you about how to study efficiently and effectively, all whilst minimising stress:
1. Make one big reading list
In most degrees, at the start of term your module professors will provide you with a list of all the readings you need to complete for that week’s lecture and seminar. What you can do to simplify things later on in the term is put all of the readings, for all of the modules, into one table (where you can see week-by-week which pages need to be read for which modules), print it out and stick it to your table or wherever you keep your files. It sounds simple, but it really helps to make you feel less overwhelmed when you later plan your week out (see tip 2!) because everything you need to read for the whole term is clearly laid out there, waiting for you to pluck it out and dump it into your weekly calendar.
2. Schedule, schedule, schedule!
Whether it’s electronically or with a traditional, old-school diary, I believe scheduling times when you will study what subject is so key to making your life easier. That way, you’ll know ahead of time which days you’ll have to hustle in the library during the day because you have a big night out later, or when you’ll have to prioritise one module over another simply because that seminar comes ahead of the other in the week. Besides, scheduling will also help you in your social life-- you won’t be double-booking any coffee dates or movie nights anytime soon!
3. Plan meticulously
Isn’t that the same as scheduling, you ask? Absolutely not! Scheduling helps you know when you’re going to do the work, but planning is knowing what you’ll be doing in that allotted time. Break it down into small, micro-tasks that are manageable. So: you need to write an essay. What small steps do you have to take to get to that end point? Breaking it down into sub-tasks gives you a clearer picture of your path to completion, and ticking each task off your list is a very satisfying feeling.