Filing Fairy - Preparing for Study

Courtesy of chrismoon

Being a student at university may be a bit of a shock to many people. This is because while at college/school everything is organised for you and you are told what to do next, university is the complete opposite. You have to research, you have to direct your own study and make sure you hand in your projects in on time because if you don't you may not do very well. Chances are, you are now doing a subject which you love and so this may come more naturally to you.

So, you don't want to be in a position where your not doing very well and being kicked off your course for having no material to hand in. This is where planning comes in.

You may have come straight from school/college or you may be a mature student returning to learning after many years and so planning is the key when it comes to study. For those of you who have come from college/school, you didn't have to pay for this education and so are possibly still in the frame of mind that you aren't paying for it now (either through grants or parents paying) and so don't need to turn up. Well that frame of mind needs to change! 

First of all you need a place to study, an area which entices you to take the initiative and research your area of interest. You need a good, clear desk to work on. One that is free of clutter and well organised. You also need an area for storage, your folders and books so equip yourself with storage boxes, folders, bookshelf if you don't have one, pencil holders/desk tidies etc. This will mean everything is within reach and stops you from becoming distracted which is very easy to do I tell you! Har har.

Get yourself a diary if the university doesn't provide one. If you don't want a diary then at the very least get a calendar. This is important to track important hand in dates as well as the parties, birthdays etc. that will pop up. Organise your time in here, time management is very important now. Your course will no doubt outline the minimum amount of self-directed study hours you need to undertake and so I would calculate this so it works out how many hours a week you need to concentrate on each module. Assume that evenings and weekends are free, it gives you an indication of how much time you need to spend on each one per day.

Create do-do lists! This organise your mind and remind you of what needs to be done. Pin it somewhere that you look at every day, e.g. notice board, next to your mirror, wall next to bed and then prioritise these tasks. The one with the nearest due in date could be brought to the top.

Think about the times when your most productive. If you hate mornings, then organise your time so you start later but finish a bit later as well. Leave time for lunch and a break in between, you don't want to over do it. 


And that's about it for now, feel free to comment.