Category Archives: Study Practices

Learning to follow your academic rhythm

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by Hannah (Student Blogger: BSc Biological Sciences)

One of the biggest challenges academically when coming to university is discovering your best pattern of study. Without question, studying is a massively important component during your university experience – at the end of the day, it’s what you came here to do. Everyone has end goals for their time here at Lancaster. Whether that’s getting a 2:1, going on to do a masters degree or getting on a highly competitive grad scheme, most of these goals entail a specific academic requirement.

 

By the time you’ve reached University, you’ve been studying for the majority of your life. You’ve survived the torment of GCSEs and the rigor of A Levels or the IB, maybe you’ve even taken other examinations like music examinations. Looking back, these all seem relatively easy in comparison now, right? But at the time, they were some of the most stressful, sometimes tear-inducing, academic processes you had to go through. No one ever teaches you how to study, at least no one ever told me, they just tell you to “get on with it”.

 

Sometimes though, you could be putting in hours of painstaking work, but none of it seems to be registering. Whether that’s because of the type of learner you are, the time you’re revising or the method you’re utilising to study, there are a multitude of factors that need to come together. A quick Google search and you’re confronted with a whole host of webpages, from advice columns to journalistic research, and it quickly becomes apparent just how overwhelmingly complex the whole process of ‘studying’ can be.

 

For me, it took quite a long time to work out my personal academic rhythm – over a year in fact. With all the personal freedoms you encounter whilst first beginning university, it can be quite challenging to become self-disciplined.

Personally, I am a night owl. My personal productivity and peak academic performances occur in the window of 1am – 4am. Now, this can be quite a problem if you live in the city centre and like to utilise the library – hence why I’ve taken the decision to move back to campus for my third year. My first piece of advice to you would be to see if you notice any trends in your alertness and productivity to maybe amend your schedule toward studying during those hours.

 

Crucially, be organised. I know, everyone blabs on at you all the time about “not leaving it to the last minute”, or maybe you’re one of those lucky ones who are completing assignments weeks before the deadline and this doesn’t appeal to you, but nevertheless it is important. Sorting out revision schedules and carrying out research for assignments can be monotonous, but it alleviates so much stress once it’s done. It can be easy to become distracted by everything going on around you at University. “I’m just going to get food” as a library break can quickly turn into cocktails at Grizedale bar if you’re not too careful – my personal favourite procrastination option. Maybe try to think about those cocktails in the sunshine after you’ve submitted your deadline?

 

A wealth of other factors come into play whilst trying to get the most out of your studying strategies, but for me, organisation and peak productivity timing, are two of the most important. Playing around with your academic habits can seem tiresome, but starting in first year so you know what works for you by third year, is undeniably worth the effort.

 

Time well spent

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by Anna (Student Blogger: BA Hons French Studies and Linguistics)

Life at Lancaster is fun, and studying in a thriving environment with a multitude of students from over the globe means developing skills and overcoming challenges.

When it comes to challenges, I found myself struggling to balance time, particularly when to study and manage my study time.

This struggle began to affect my ability to study effectively, as well as my enjoyment of my courses. In turn, this affected my mental health, and the relationships I was making at university.

I found myself spending too much time in the library, unintentionally overwhelming myself with work. It would take me hours to write up lecture notes, and even longer to do the reading. I would end the day feeling drained and start the next with dread. Dragging yourself to the library before and after lectures is not desirable for any student, but especially when you’re already shattered.

So, after spending the whole of first term of second year slaving away, I began second term just a little apprehensive. But then I became close with another girl on my course, and our friendship meant we spent time together both at university and while back in our houses in town.

We began having “study dates” on campus i.e. booking a study space in the library and grabbing a Costa. We would methodically work through our lecture notes, and I found myself working quicker and actually enjoying it. Rather than being distracted, my friend would keep me on track and find a way to engage my attention and interest if necessary.

I would look forward to spending time with my friend, and in turn would enjoy revising my lecture notes and doing the readings. With it being exam season, we have also spent time revising. Despite both studying the same course, we chose different second year modules, and it has actually been helpful to go over a module my friend hasn’t studied because if I can explain it coherently to her then I know I have studied it thoroughly.

Overcoming this challenge has made me feel more confident in my ability to study as I have learned how to manage my time much better. Of course, I still have to counteract distractions (thank you Netflix) but by studying more effectively, I have more time on my hands to do things I enjoy.

My friend and I balanced our time so well during second term, that we were able to go out once or twice a week, and we would study within the week. This made me not only enjoy studying more, but also made me enjoy university more.

So, after spending first year and the first term of second year studying miserably, I have finally unlocked how to study effectively, and after overcoming this, I would happily share as much with others as possible. Studying together with people off your course makes university much more fun, and it’s a way to maintain friendships too.

I hope you find yourself enjoying studying at Lancaster as much as I do, and that you’re able to build relationships with people who share your passions.

Overcoming the fear of the blank page

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by Ruth (Student Blogger: BA Hons History)

Luckily, there hasn’t been many learning ‘challenges’ for me yet… unless you count learning the dirty dishes do not disappear overnight. But I think the main one is the renewed sense of hope I have now. Coming from A levels, which we all can agree are hell, there was very little motivation left in me, as I have been told non-stop for four years that I will never be able to improve myself past a certain grade due to my dyslexia. That mindset is not ideal, starting an essay with this knowledge that I can’t surpass a certain point. It adds a mental block to difficulties already there. Staring at the blank, white page, waiting for some inspiration to hit is so hard, so having this mindset of negativity becomes a real challenge.

 

But how do you overcome it? Mental disabilities and challenges are not easy to overcome, not only are they often ignored or brushed off, but they can’t be seen. They’re not constantly on show to other people and can be hidden often easier, but that doesn’t mean they should just be silenced. As a result it is hard to overcome mental learning challenges especially a negative mind set…. So how do you?

Since going to Lancaster my mindset has most definitely improved, this is because of a few reasons.

  1. Surrounding yourself with Positive people.This may seem obvious, but having a supportive, helpful group of people who want you to succeed and want to give you assistance is key . This could be your flat, learning support team, friends, family or tutor. As long as there is some sort of anchor who can rad through your essays or give you grammar or spelling help ( which is what use my family for), it can make you feel like the tasks ahead seem less daunting because you are not now doing them on your own.
  2. Seek specific feedback. There is nothing worse than getting an essay back and the person marking it has just written the most vague and nonsensical notes all over like ‘improve grammar’. This drive me up the wall. In order to get over this negative mindset I wanted to have specific points so I know exactly what to do to improve. Therefore going to lecturers or those marking your essays or writing support in order to know key reasons to improve. This was such a big help for me in overcoming the idea of my personal ‘glass ceiling’ as it gave me a list of things to do in order to break it.
  3. This one may seem slightly ridiculous, but quotes. I found surrounding myself with positive quotes and improving my workspace helped me overcome this learning challenge. I know its cheesy but ‘tidy desk, tidy mind’ is true. Having a space that’s tidy and clean and full of positivity counteracts that annoying voice that tells you, that you cannot improve and helps you overcome that learning challenge.