The start of a new university lifestyle can seem intimidating, but improvising your habits can help improve your credence and increase your chances of success with a honed skill set.
“One thing we know from decades of cognitive science research is that learners are often bad judges of their own learning.”
Be mIndful OF your phone
It’s no secret that our smartphones can be hugely distracting. Turning off your
notifications, keeping your phone out of sight in your bag, or giving it to a friend to hold can help you stay focused. You can also try ‘Pro-Focus’ apps like
Forest to prevent time-wasting distractions.
Never leave it until the final week!
It might feel tempting to leave all your studying until the last minute, but it is generally understood that this approach will not help you achieve high
grades.
Students may perform well on a test for which they’ve crammed, but that doesn’t mean they’ve truly learned the material. Instead of cramming, it’s generally advised that studying with the goal of long-term retention is best for overall learning, which is usually achieved by understanding the text well.
develop a roadmap
Create a plan of action with set goals that can motivate you to work hard in small steps and keep you well-prepared for the path you need to take.
request assistance
It’s not necessary to struggle through complicated material on your own. Be
proactive about identifying areas where you need help; the longer you wait, the
bigger the leap you’ll have to make to catch up with your peers.
Importance of a Study-Focused Friend Group
The peers around you are likely facing the same obstacles that you are.
Reaching out to them and forming a study group to go over material together,
brainstorm, and to support each other through various challenges.
Having other people to study with means you can explain the material to one
another, quiz each other, and build a set of contacts you can rely on
throughout the rest of the class—and beyond in your future endeavours.
taking care of your health
Wellness may not seem as important in the first look but is essentially vital for your
academic journey. Sleep deprivation can lead to low cognitive function and
lower productivity while bad mental health makes you an ideal target for stress
and pressure.
Exercising and eating well can have a profound impact on our learning capacity.
The mind can only retain so much information at a time, and taking breaks can
enhance the rate at which you process knowledge. Wakeful rest plays an
important role in practising a new skill. Rest allows our brains to compress and consolidate the memories of what we just practised.
Make sure you allow enough time for relaxation and sleep between study sessions
so your brain is refreshed and ready to accept new information.
setting a good study environment
Where you study can be just as important as how you study. Find a distraction-free
space where you have all the supplies you need on hand. Prepare by fueling
yourself with simple foods while avoiding heavy meals, as they may make you
sleepy.
treat yourself
Sitting down to study continuously can be emotionally exhausting, and keeping
your stamina up can be challenging. Small rewards throughout the process can
help maintain your morale, rather than saving it all until the end. Next time
you finish a particularly challenging study session, treat yourself to some ice
cream or an episode of your favourite show.
hard work is hard
There is no shortcut to learning a skill. For most of the past century, we’ve
been trying to find methods that can expedite the learning process, whether
It’s through video lectures or concise texts, but all of it has been in vain. A
person can only learn by going through the discomfort of the process, which
plays a significant role in why they become capable of performing complicated
tasks that they previously couldn’t.
estimating progress
Tests and practice tests have been long seen as useful tools to help students learn and retain information. Besides revealing gaps in knowledge and reducing exam anxiety, being tested makes us retrieve information from memory—a powerful, study-backed way of holding onto information we’ve learned while also having an accountability mechanism.
Consistency is always more important than occasional outbursts of energy. Similar evaluation can be applied on this list as well, wherein it becomes more important to follow as much as you can, than to have an all or none approach. One final point to keep in mind is that, Success is not about high grades but the strong values that we can build over time!