University life can be difficult to balance with a full-time timetable and a social life to juggle it can feel like you have a lot on your plate. However, I have a few key tips to help you manage your time efficiently and get your studying done.

Investing in a planner is crucial to managing your time. During my first year, I would always put in my lectures first, and then add in any other activities I wanted to do outside of my academic studies. Having a visual plan of your week helps you manage your time better as you can allow a set time. I even used to plan what day I would go food shopping and how much I wanted to spend weekly which is a great way to budget. Ensure you prioritise your tasks and list what needs to be done weekly.

Making note of when assignments are due is also so important as you can plan ahead of time and assign yourself a couple of hours a week to get work done. This ensures you don’t leave tasks to the last minute and end up doing work at the last minute.

Even though studying is important you also need to factor in time to socialise and see your friends or family. Every week I always left gaps in my plans to see my friends. Joining a society is so important to meet people with similar interests to you, most societies have weekly meetups, which are planned, so you have time to work around them.

Make sure you join at least one society when starting university life, you can view the societies we have here at Bournemouth University and see what you would like to join. There is one for everyone and you can plan this into your week to ensure you are also making time for your friends.

In my spare time, I like to socialise with friends. This could be going into Bournemouth town centre or the beach and this helps me balance my time efficiently so I don’t feel overwhelmed with university work.

Having a part-time job can also be challenging, but working as a student ambassador is a great opportunity to not fall behind in your studies as you can work around what suits you. This has helped me manage my time efficiently as I can prioritise lectures as well as work.

Set yourself realistic goals for the year. For example, making sure your assignments are completed before the due date and not leaving it too late. Instead of setting a goal that is too difficult to reach, make sure u stick to a goal you know is achievable.

Each week allocating time to spend in the library gets you out of your accommodation or house as well as being productive too. Here at Bournemouth, we have two libraries open at all hours, making it so much easier to fit time around studying. Online there is also a lot of help available if you are struggling. You can also access resources and books online which is helpful for assignments.

If you need further help you can also attend a session to help you. There is a booking system available online you can choose whether you want to do it in person or online and the staff can help you with what you are struggling with. The academic skills hub also has a lot of information about academic writing, references, exams and so much more.

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Academic Skills Hub