Uni is very different from school or college! You will most likely be expected to be a little more independent and are required to spend a good amount of time independently completing wider reading for your course. I definitely struggled with this when I arrived at uni, as although there is available support from lecturers should you need it, there is a need to be more proactive and identify which methods work best for you. Here are a few study tips to use to make the most out of your time spent studying.

1. Create a study plan and decide on study goals/ requirements are at the beginning of each semester. Keep track of the topics that will be covered in each lecture and have a look at these each week to keep you focused. Pre reading the material that will be covered in lectures will help you to identify areas you may not understand, so you can come up with questions to ask your tutor or lecturer.
   
2. Don’t set unrealistic goals… by this I mean saying that you will study every waking moment of every day until your exam/ assignment submission, as this clearly will not work. Creating unrealistic goals will make you feel demotivated when you do not meet them which could impact negatively on your productivity. Set realistic targets such as an hour of going over your notes after each lecture to consolidate your knowledge… this will also help with consistency, and it isn’t a huge workload, and you’ll thank yourself come exam season!
3. Study in an appropriate environment – e.g. not in your bed!!! I am definitely guilty of this one but studying in bed, or in areas that you usually use to relax isn’t the best for focus. Maybe try heading to the library or a quiet coffee shop, and you may find that you can be more productive when you aren’t tempted to reach for Netflix or fall asleep!
4. Make time to do something else! Be sure to still fit in things you like such as seeing your friends or getting some exercise in somewhere… this will help make sure you don’t burn out and give you a good work/ play balance.

Getting used to the new style of independent learning that you have to adapt to when coming to uni can be difficult, so hopefully some of these tips will help!

Share any tips you have in the comments below.