Studying efficiently is important when it comes to uni, especially at this time of semester when we're all incredibly busy! Today I'm sharing my study method - hopefully you will find something useful to help make your studying easier.
I use Dropbox synced to my tablet, computer and my phone so that I don't have to download the
same thing twice. Personally, I hate using uni computers because it takes ages to find one that is available, and they take a really long time to start up. I usually bring my tablet or computer if I have to study at uni but I usually study at home. I don't just study for 1 hour. When I study, I will have intensive 3 hour study sessions to get things done. During this time, nothing can distract me. I hate getting app notifications on my phone, so I make sure they are turned off. I also turn off most of notifications for groups, pages and events on Facebook. I also stay conscious about how much time I spend on each task/paragraph/question.
When I start, I first think of nature of the assignment (for example), and think of what needs to be done. I read the CRA and task sheet carefully so that I fully understand what needs to be included and what the assignment asks of me. Then I switch my focus on beginning to gather references. I always try Quicksearch on the library website first. I also find out what kind of references I need, whether they are books or journal articles, and then read the introduction or abstract to see if what I'm looking at is useful. If I get stuck here, I ask the helpful staff people in the QUT library, and I also try their online subject guides.
I may start with 10 references, which tends to lead me to another 5 references thanks to the additional information I find when I'm writing for extra justification. I mark the chapters/sections/paragraphs I need with post-it notes using the same colours for the same topic. Then I think of content for my assignment by listing up sections on Word and things that need to be included with dot-points which are linked to my references. I might spend around 2 weeks to get this done because I might look at the CRA and other things to really think about what needs to be included. Then I spend another 1 or 2 weeks to write the whole report. I use a pretty boring format style, nothing fancy, but I always use the same style so that I don't spend too much time on formatting - I like to spend about an hour on it usually.
The format that I use for my assignment has:
So in summary, my top tips to help you work efficiently are to use what's available to you (people/web/library services) and stay conscious about how much time you're spending on each task. If you think you're not working efficiently, leave the task for one moment and think about what you can do to make it more efficient. Of course, this is just what works for me, and I'm sure everyone has different strategies that work for them, too, but it also doesn't hurt to try different strategies. My final (and most important) tip is to always start early.
Good luck completing your assignments and studying for your exams!
Article by Sae
Find more about Sae
I use Dropbox synced to my tablet, computer and my phone so that I don't have to download the
same thing twice. Personally, I hate using uni computers because it takes ages to find one that is available, and they take a really long time to start up. I usually bring my tablet or computer if I have to study at uni but I usually study at home. I don't just study for 1 hour. When I study, I will have intensive 3 hour study sessions to get things done. During this time, nothing can distract me. I hate getting app notifications on my phone, so I make sure they are turned off. I also turn off most of notifications for groups, pages and events on Facebook. I also stay conscious about how much time I spend on each task/paragraph/question.
When I start, I first think of nature of the assignment (for example), and think of what needs to be done. I read the CRA and task sheet carefully so that I fully understand what needs to be included and what the assignment asks of me. Then I switch my focus on beginning to gather references. I always try Quicksearch on the library website first. I also find out what kind of references I need, whether they are books or journal articles, and then read the introduction or abstract to see if what I'm looking at is useful. If I get stuck here, I ask the helpful staff people in the QUT library, and I also try their online subject guides.
I may start with 10 references, which tends to lead me to another 5 references thanks to the additional information I find when I'm writing for extra justification. I mark the chapters/sections/paragraphs I need with post-it notes using the same colours for the same topic. Then I think of content for my assignment by listing up sections on Word and things that need to be included with dot-points which are linked to my references. I might spend around 2 weeks to get this done because I might look at the CRA and other things to really think about what needs to be included. Then I spend another 1 or 2 weeks to write the whole report. I use a pretty boring format style, nothing fancy, but I always use the same style so that I don't spend too much time on formatting - I like to spend about an hour on it usually.
The format that I use for my assignment has:
- Cambria font
- 11 pt
- 1.5 line spacing
- 10 pt after paragraph spacing
- Justified
So in summary, my top tips to help you work efficiently are to use what's available to you (people/web/library services) and stay conscious about how much time you're spending on each task. If you think you're not working efficiently, leave the task for one moment and think about what you can do to make it more efficient. Of course, this is just what works for me, and I'm sure everyone has different strategies that work for them, too, but it also doesn't hurt to try different strategies. My final (and most important) tip is to always start early.
Good luck completing your assignments and studying for your exams!
Article by Sae
Find more about Sae