Many people think that studying in college is a breeze when it is in fact quite the opposite. This article will remind you of three things that you should always keep in mind as a student.
Manage Your Time Wisely!
Contrary to all expectations: as a student, you have little time. Studying is a full-time job. During the lecture period, you rush from one university event to the next, fighting your way through scripts and books. You may also have a student job and have to take care of your apartment.
If you then have to write a research paper or have other commitments, there is even less free time left. It doesn’t get any better after the lectures, because now the exams are coming. That means for you: Endlessly long exam preparation, learning to the pain limit, and a lot of exam stress.
Once your studies have really picked up speed, your schedule will be full – right up to the top. It feels like five new items appear on your to-do list when a task is completed. How you deal with time becomes an important key component in your everyday life and the number 1 success factor.
That’s why you have to focus on the important things and study productively. You must not lose track and waste your time. You must use your free resources wisely and become an independent time manager. Solid time management is your ticket to relaxed and successful studies. If you manage your time wisely and plan a little bit, you will immediately have more free time and finally, get the grades you deserve.
To-do: Become your own time manager and manage your time wisely! Create a plan for the next week and reserve time slots for your most important tasks!
Learn with a System!
If you just start learning during your studies, you won’t get very far. You may get through the first few weeks and months without a concept. At the latest, however, when things get serious during the exam preparation, you quickly reach your limits. What you need then is a strategy. A solution with which you can quickly and elegantly get all the material in your head – because you cannot afford unproductive alibi learning.
That’s why you need a smart approach to make your learning sessions as promising as possible. You need a learning strategy, a system that you can use as a guide. When used sensibly, learning strategies give you security during your studies – security that you need to start learning and see it through to the end.
Learning strategies give shape to your learning process. They ensure that you know exactly what to do at all times. You work your way up step by step until your learning content is in place and you are well prepared for the exam. However, you have to find your own system first.
And that’s why you have to start looking as early as possible: Which learning methods work best for you? How can you acquire important content as quickly as possible and which techniques do you get nowhere? Are you more of the analog or the digital type of learner? Do you prefer to study in the morning or the evening? In a group or alone? Experiment a little at the beginning of your studies and find your own system.
To-do: Learn according to a system and find out which learning strategies work best for you!
Most Importantly, Don’t Let Yourself Be Pushed Around
Especially at the beginning of the semester and study, most students take on a lot. Unfortunately, they only last two weeks and then fall over in droves. Why is that? Most people believe that if you believe hard enough, a problem will go away on its own. A little hint from practice: Nothing will come of it.
And it doesn’t matter how much mental effort you put in – that alone won’t do you much good, because without the necessary (and above all sustained) action, nothing, absolutely nothing, will change. Call your difficulties by their name, concentrate on the solution, and tackle it directly. Do not hesitate too long, but become active.
Remember
In general, you can study in two ways: either you let yourself be told what you have to do and allow external influences to determine your path, or you take your studies into your own hands and become a doer.
The advantage of self-determined studies: freedom. The downside: work. But the effort will be worth it. Feeling confident and free, you’ll be able to easily get help from others by saying “Write my paper for me” and lead your life in a better direction.
Only if you act proactively as a freshman will you lead a successful and satisfying student life. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes – the main thing is that you learn from your experiences. This is the only way you can grow continuously and develop a strong personality. And that is exactly what makes you a happy and satisfied person in the long term.