by Nevena (Student Blogger: BSc Hons Business Studies (Industry))

Learning is a constant process in one’s life. The reason why I can refer to anyone with the pronoun “student” is namely because no matter in what stage one is, before or after university, they keep learning. But knowing how to learn is essential to making pieces of information or set of skills enter your mind permanently. Being at university, finding your own way of learning is fundamental for your success.

A university environment is very specific when it comes to the different ways in which information is delivered. Lancaster University works on the principle of combining lectures, seminars, and workshops in order to expose students to various situations and learning conditions. Coming to university can be rather challenging, especially when all of the above-mentioned are still unfamiliar for first year students. Two lectures on Monday, a seminar on Tuesday and some sort of workshop on a late Friday; and they all have different expectations and requirements. So how do you deal with that?

There is no specific recipe for coping with that. Everyone has a different style of learning and coping with university chores. And until you find what works best for you, you should EXPERIMENT. Trying different techniques is crucial in order to reach the perfect one. Observing others and taking advice can also be helpful. It is important to note that there is no one single learning manner that can be applied for every subject because they are very diverse. Some people take notes by writing in notebooks, others type everything down on their laptops, some others don’t make a single movement – they just sit there and listen. It depends on YOU. You are the main character in this and you should decide for yourself what makes you concentrate the most and understand the information.

When it comes to preparing for tests and exams, students also use different approaches. I know students for whom visualizing the information is very important, so they make colourful mind maps for each topic learnt. Others write down loooong study guides with the information needed along with examples which prove a specific idea/theory in order to remember it. Flashcards are also helpful for many subjects because they give you the opportunity to test yourself. What I want to highlight is that there are so many ways to understand and remember certain information that you should not restrict yourself to one specific thing.

The more creative approaches take the list to a whole new level. I have heard of people who write down songs in order to remember definitions or make videos (just because that’s how they feel). Just listen to your intuition and it will tell you how to go about a certain task. And of course, experiment.

Something else to explore is when exactly you try to study. Usually people have an individual set of particular hours throughout the day when they can memorize the largest amounts of information. Try studying in different hours to see what works best for you. Sitting down after a lecture or waking up very early in the morning to do some additional research – it is all in your hands. Additionally, the surrounding environment also affects some people’s efficiency in learning. If you find out that you can’t focus in our room, try going to the Library or the Learning zone. Or if you are more of an alternative learner, go to some of the bars on campus and put your headphones in. If anything comes to mind, just try it and share in the comments if it worked for you.

Best,

Nevena