To some, the beginning of April may mean a time of practical jokes. However, to most post-secondary students this directly translates to a month of angst, crushing deadlines and a deluge of never-ending exams.
Fortunately, we have a wide range of diligent students within our crew; each vying to share their experiences and strategies in terms of studying and time management with you, a fellow student. Here’s a collection of what we think are some excellent tips for hitting the books:
Samuel Ng – UBC Master of Applied Science, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Group.
Trying to put off starting on the abstract of that paper, or studying for that midterm? Do you procrastinate by watching a whole season of Game of Thrones, playing a few rounds of online games, or taking a “short nap”?
The correct way to procrastinate from one course is to work on another course. Hate that linear algebra assignment? Start early on the easier programming project. Students should prioritize their time, instead of spending hours being stuck or disinterested in a particular assignment. By working on something else, you may gain a fresh perspective on tackling the previous assignment.
Kellen Sitha – SFU Economics and Statistics
I usually take my time going over the textbook, highlighting all the keywords or the important concepts that weren’t clearly explained during the lecture, while creating my own compilation of notes and cue cards.
Nick Pham – FDU Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: International Business
In order to handle the mental stress that is naturally accompanied by learning, one should strive to enhance their physical attributes as well. Apart from the obvious perks of enhancing your appearance and maintaining a healthy body, exercising can help boost blood circulation and relieve stress, culminating in a necessary boost to help absorb potentially crucial ideas when studying.
Additionally, one should always upload their work onto a cloud storage platform. This will come in handy when you eventually forget your USB the day of your presentation, or when your computer automatically freezes out of the blue (I’ve learned this the hard way).
Jae-Hui Song – UBC Sociology and International Relations
Stay Organized. Many of us aren’t just students, having schedules filled with volunteering, extracurricular activities and work. I believe it’s important to stay on top of things by having a physical platform to assist you in staying organized, while helping you work smarter instead of harder.
This could be through an app on your phone or writing things down in an agenda. Either way, having some form of system to keep track of when important dates are and the things you need to do will help you to see the bigger picture. You can also cross out the things you have completed to help clear your long (and sometimes never ending) to-do list. It can be easy to forget and disregard information if everything is only in your head. By using your phone or agenda to lay things out in front of you will help you to plan and reflect.
If you’re still struggling with being productive in your academic life, please check out our enlightening blog on productivity by our senior advisors, Sam and Vivian. An extensive list is provided to help you absolutely demolish your to-do list this month!
http://pccrovers.com/2014/08/15/life-long-journey-of-productivity/