I\u2019m sure, as any students reading will know, that there are a ridiculous amount of worksheets on how to deal with essays. How to research them, how to plan them, how to and how not to write them, how to cope with writing them \u2013 the list is endless. These tips are useful as teaching aids go, and I give no discredit to those who have taken time to offer their valuable advice. However, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, essays always seem to cause a new challenge. While all these tips are being thrown around sometimes it seems so hard just to catch a break. This week\u2019s blog is designed to give any potential or current uni students a bit of reassurance to know that essays are hard, but there are ways of getting through them (involving baked goods and dance routines.)<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0 Remember that other people find essays difficult too!It\u2019s been all too easy for me to sit in my room and think that I am the only one struggling with my assignments. In my mind, I imagine my classmates sitting at their desks with a cup of tea breezing through the content, formulating decent analysis and using sources to the very best of their argument. I (rather briefly) imagine this while I too sit with a bucket-load of tea but I find myself diving in and out of books, scrolling through articles, attempting to fit my various paragraphs into some marvellous jigsaw. The inevitable question rears its head: \u2018why is this so difficult?!\u2019 \u2013 (I think I know why, and it\u2019s all to do with the insane amount of pressure we, as students, put on ourselves) and I am left feeling bit lost and quite worried about what I\u2019m supposed to do.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0 However, having spoken to people on my course this week, I am now somewhat aware of the fact that there are other people who ask the same question. It\u2019s weirdly reassuring to know that I am not the only one with ridiculous amounts of caffeine filtering through my body while I scan various books and attempt to piece together a coherent essay. I have learnt that I am not alone in my essay struggles and that I can talk it through with my friends to be able to get a better idea of what on Earth I\u2019m trying to discuss. It\u2019s worth remembering that we\u2019re all students together!<\/p>\n
3. Breaks ARE allowed (and are particularly effective in combination with a dance routine)This is a very handy little piece of advice. Now, I am sure that it\u2019s always been a focus in essay strategies that you should take time out, so that you can reassess your ideas and come back to them. However, sitting down and just solidly writing can seem like a way better idea. I admit, it is ridiculously satisfying to finish a section after a couple of hours and think \u2018yes, I am actually quite pleased with that\u2019, but achieving that sense of satisfaction can be tricky. But, it\u2019s about what you put into the hours of work that matter. When achieving this sense of satisfaction, or even when you feel like you just need to step away from the computer screen, breaks are a good thing and they are allowed. Being in essay mode does not mean that you are bound to your desk. My little break routine often consists of a cup of tea, some form of biscuit or cake (the student essentials), a banana if I\u2019m in need of some happy chemicals and a quick sesh of Taylor Swift\u2019s \u2018Shake it Off\u2019 or a Zumba routine to \u2018Dangerous Love\u2019,\u00a0 just to get the blood flowing and some real motivation! As weird as this may sound, I do find this particularly effective!<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0 You can always call back-upUni isn\u2019t something that you should be doing alone. There are plenty of people around to go and have a chat with about essays. Seminar tutors are a definite go-to because they know what they\u2019re talking about and have probably been through the same little stresses that you have. Friends are so helpful, and lovely, too! Even if they can\u2019t offer you some advice on what to write, just having a friend around to have a quick natter to or to have Nutella crumpets with is just great. However, I have found this week that sometimes I just want to speak to my mum and dad. I couldn\u2019t help feeling that this was me admitting that I was giving up the student-y independence, but this is not the case! Sometimes it\u2019s necessary to have a chat, to get some reassurance and to gain a bit of perspective. Speaking to my mum and dad can just chill me out and calm me down.<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0 Keep a pen and a piece of paper next to you whilst you\u2019re workingWhen I am starting out with my essay writing I always find I have thoughts all over the place and I just want to get them all down as quickly as possible, in the most fluent, fully analytical, accurate way imaginable. This is tricky, though! Yet, if I have a piece of paper next to me, I can just jot down my thoughts as they come, in relevance to something I\u2019ve already discussed, or if it will aid the overall shape of the argument. This may be a tip you already know, or already adopt, if you\u2019re a student – but it is so useful! It\u2019s also quite entertaining to have a quick look at all the little scribbles you\u2019ve made and think \u2018how did I ever shape that into an essay?!<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0 There will always be cake I was scrolling through my posts a couple of weeks ago for some reason (most likely procrastination) and I came across this: \u2018If I\u2019ve learnt one thing\u2026it\u2019s to take each challenge as it comes. It may be struggle and it may cause stress or worry, but just remember that there\u2019s always someone to talk to and there will always be cake\u2019. I think this is a comment really worth remembering (even if I do say so myself!) I have really been stressed out this week \u2013 hence the lateness of this post, sorry guys, but sometimes it\u2019s essential to gain that little bit of perspective: even when things get tough \u2013 you will get through it.\u00a0 So there we go! 5, hopefully realistic, hopefully useful tips! This blog has probably given away quite a lot about me as a student too; I am quite a \u2018stress-head\u2019 and I like things to be right! However, these little tips do provide some perspective for essay writing. It\u2019s all about personal standards and expectations, for me, and I hope that these little nuggets of advice will prove useful to help people reach their own expectations, or that they show you that there are definitely perks of essay writing in the wonderful form of cake!<\/p>\n
History Hugs, Have a good week!<\/p>\n
Thank you for reading! \u00a0Eleanor :0<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m sure, as any students reading will know, that there are a ridiculous amount of worksheets on how to deal with essays. How to research them, how to plan them, how to and how not to write them, how to … Continue reading