by Sara (Student Blogger: BA Hons Linguistics)

Independence. It’s one of those words that is so often associated with moving to university. It represents starting your own life, walking your own path, making your own mistakes and finding out who you want to be. It can be seen as either terrifying or exhilarating, can be approached with nervousness or excitement. Though we might not like to admit it, we are at university to work and so the dreaded phase ‘independent study’ comes under this theme. One big hurdle for anyone with a low number of contact hours, like me, will be finding your way around your time table independently. Most departments provide readings and suggestions for further reading or materials for seminars but you must also use your own initiative to work out what needs doing, when and how. It’s vital to stay on top of your work DURING the year so that when you sit down to revise come Easter you don’t realise ‘Oh no, I haven’t read any of this’. Not that that has happened to me this year…no, not at all… You will thank yourself for planning ahead. I have become the Queen of Lists and Plans (and All Things Involving Stationary That Are Borderline Just Procrastination) this year.

Personally, I found it hard to stay motivated and do work that I set for myself. If it hadn’t been set by an authority figure there was little fear of punishment for not reading those 15 pages on ‘the history of linguistics’. But you can try rewarding yourself instead and take breaks often. I love food. A slice of cake, a chocolate bar or some strawberries (though let’s be honest it was mostly chocolate) would sit waiting patiently whilst I did my reading or wrote out my notes in dazzling multicolour.

One massive difference between school and university is that you are less likely to have such a set structure to your learning and there isn’t that ‘home time’ feeling when you leave around 3 o’clock and your day has effectively ended. At university, I tried to set out my time so that there would be slots for exercise, eating, sleeping (definitely essential!) going out and hobbies every week. If I knew I had a 2 or 3 hour window in which to do a certain piece of work I felt like I had more direction and a sense of direction is definitely motivating. If I really didn’t feel like doing something I would postpone it. There is no use in forcing yourself to do something that you know you can’t do well.

There will be loads of things that make it hard to stick to your schedule and some of these can feel like they’re defeating you. Mental health, physical health and socialising have all been important factors to consider for me to feel in control. The best advice I could give is to take care of yourself and make a colourful poster (Sharpies are a uni must) for your goals and aims. Stick it right above your desk to keep you motivated and on task. Independence, here we come!