Category Archives: Time Management

The ABCs of Year 1

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By Manuella (Student blogger: Economics and International Relations)

 

Honestly, university is a bitter sweet journey but trust me and a few people I have heard it from, its is all worth it. Starting a new journey or better yet ending one is always hard, and sometimes you wish someone could just tap you on the shoulder and say “hey, it’s going to be okay” or “hey, here are the few challenges you should look out for”. I thought long and hard about what I wanted this blog post to be about, and being a newly second year student, I wish the people before me told me a few things before I started the year.

Always be punctual

Be careful with your circle

Calm down

Don’t trust people too much

Enjoy the ride

Find your thing

Get to know people better

Have more fun

It’s made for you

Jurisprudence

Keep it 100

Lecturers are very important

Mind your business

Networking is important

Oh my God (OMG)

Put in effort

Question everything

Read and review ahead

Study groups

Talk to your counselor

Utilize facilities

Viral infections are real

Work smart

X– eXcel

You only live once

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

From the list above, it’s very obvious that first year is a huge roller-coaster ride, and all the extra activities will make it worthwhile. During my first year, I learnt the hard way that punctuality is key, you need to ensure you don’t miss any class or seminars, just so you can stay on top of things. When it comes to being careful with your circle, ensure that you choose the right people to be around. Being calm in year one saves you a whole lot of stress and anxiety.  Being a victim of someone who stole my school work, my best advice would be to never trust anyone. University is hard on its own, but you have to just learn to go through it, sit back and enjoy the ride of being a Lancaster student. Find your thing, as funny as that sounds, it simply means you should find what works best for you and master it. Try to see people beyond the surface, get to know them better – it is not always as it seems.

Have fun!!!!! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Trust that everything in the system is made for you, your course was specifically designed for you to succeed. Jurisprudence simply means that you are answerable to someone, no matter how popular or how proud you get. Lecturers are very important as they give you the tips and tricks on how best to pass your courses. Minding your own business in uni helps you focus more on yourself than others. Building a strong network in uni helps you shape your career path and the people you surround yourself with. You are going to have a lot of OMG moments so brace yourself. As my lecturers always emphasize, it doesn’t hurt to show you care. When in doubt, ask questions. Read and review ahead of every event, it feels good to know what is being talked about. Study groups are a huge help to the learning process, and they aid your participation in class. Talk to your counselor when you have a problem, mental health is really important.

Utilize all facilities and resources made available to you, that is why they are there!!!!! Viral infections are real, keep yourself safe and be careful. Duh… you are here to work hard and smart, it’s the only way you will get that degree. Funny enough, I couldn’t quite get a word that started with “x” but I decided to wing it and go with the slang, eXCEL, in everything you do, try your very best to excel in Uni. YOLO, these years will have some golden moments in your life, cherish them. And lastly, sleep is very important for a healthy mind and body, so get them ZZZZ’s.

I just want to say that Year One is the start of your uni life, and although you might have a pool of emotions, just know that you can do it and that people that have come before you did great and so will you. And I truly hope that you live by some, if not all of these lessons and experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Freshers: Make Michaelmas Magical

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By Sean (Student blogger: MSci Hons Computer Science)

“Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats

Everybody here wanted something more,

Searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before”

Taylor Swift – Welcome to New York

The thing is, you don’t really know what to expect. Be it the Big Apple or the much smaller Lancaster University, we tend to look through gold-tinted glasses when we arrive somewhere for the first time. This is especially true during pivotal moments of change within our lives, like our first meal alone as an adult, or our first steps into the first room we will live independently in.

During Michaelmas, everything is exciting and seems to lure you in. While the second-and-third-year students trudge through their daily routines, you’re dancing through the North Spine at the thought of finally being able to enjoy a Subway footlong every day. Nights out are crazy adventures with your mates instead of long overdue stress relief outlets, and workshop activities tend to be fun rather than headache-inducing.

I think it’s extremely important to play your cards well during Michaelmas.

Not necessarily right, but well.

I do feel many miss out on making the most of the first term. It’s the term where you have the most time and freedom but when you are also the most malleable. If you take advantage of it, you’ll find yourself growing in ways you won’t be able to forget.

Here is a list of, in my opinion, five most important things to do or start making a habit of during the Michaelmas term:

  1. Attend Welcome/Fresher’s week

Welcome week or Fresher’s week is your golden ticket to a well-rounded taste of university life. You get your course introduction, course facilities tour, orientation and initiation events and best of all: hauls of free stuff. The freebie and society fairs are the best targets, with things ranging from amazon prime trials to bicycle seat covers to GLOW nightclub member cards on the table, up for grabs. In fact, if you play it savvy and hop from event to event (especially your college events), you’ll find there isn’t a need to spend any money on food in the first week due to the opportunities to grab meals at events.

Aside from freebies, the other major benefactor of welcome/fresher’s week is how it helps you settle in. From ‘meet your course-mate’ events and course inductions, you’ll find a few buddies, which does make your first lectures feel a little nicer. Within your block or flat, your fresher’s reps join you on nights out while looking after and having fun with you. This is one of the few times everybody in your block is free, so make use of that to have a good time and get to know each other.

  1. Try talking to people

Like many others, I found myself quite intimidated by the looming idea of being tossed into a sea of new people and being expected to talk to them. However, the monsters turned out to be just trees: during welcome/fresher’s week, nobody knows anybody. People tend to be more open and willing to make conversation because everybody wants to meet new people and make friends. I talked to people in queues, in cafes, at events and made quite a few friends; and it wasn’t as scary as I made it out to be. Give it a go – I promise people won’t hiss at you.

  1. Join a society

Honestly, you might end up not attending all of your societies by 2nd or 3rd term. Nevertheless I still think this is a great idea, as you get to connect with like-minded people, and if you find something you really like, you’ll end up meeting a group of people you can vibe with who might end up being good friends. The first few society meetings tend to be free, so if there’s any time to join one, this is it.

  1. Get the ball rolling (academically)

Go to class. You really don’t want to fall behind or miss out on what are the most basic levels of your course, especially if your course requires a strong foundation. I made the mistake of skipping or not paying attention in a lot of my earlier lectures, and felt the effects later on when challenging coursework came in. It’s surprisingly easier if you take it step-by-step and just remember to keep up with your lecture notes every week.

  1. Learn to adult

Unfortunately, you don’t have the luxury of home-cooked meals or having your laundry magically do itself anymore. You’re an adult now and you have to learn to do things on your own from cleaning your room to sorting out your finances. Given its introductory nature, Michaelmas is undeniably the best time for you to get a grip of “adulting”. Get to know your way around campus. Learn to cook a few meals – some fancy and some fast. Get the hang of the public transport systems so you don’t get stranded in town one night. Show yourself what you can – and can’t do.

I hope this helps you get a vague idea of a game plan for the first term. Don’t fret if you’ve missed out on a few opportunities- you still have plenty of time and many more to come. Just make sure you’re doing whatever you can, whenever you can, and stay as happy as you can be.

Good luck – and welcome to Lancaster University!

5 ways to boost your productivity

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by Catherine (Student Blogger: BSc Computer Science)

Energy drinks didn’t make the cut. We are well into second term and you may have found that motivating yourself to work is difficult. Don’t panic. This is normal. At University, we can often feel torn between studies, leisure, developing skills, and socialising. Here are my tips for boosting your productivity.

Go Exploring

Going for a walk may seem like a waste of time when you have things to do, but it can help you to recollect your thoughts and focus on the task.

If you live on campus, try walking to an area of campus you’ve never visited before, or around the field at the front of university. If you have the time, take a relaxing walk along the nature trail.

If you live in town, you could walk along the canal and try to spot the swans. Another possibility is to grab a coffee at the train station. Relaxing in an environment focused on schedules, surrounded by a rush of people, can offer motivation in a unique manner.

Use a Daily Planner

Buy a planner and write a list of tasks to complete each day.

Ticking off each task will feel like an achievement, and you won’t forget any important meetings or deadlines. You don’t need to plan each day down to the hour, and you can leave one day a week free to relax and catch up on any tasks you didn’t get the chance to complete.

Don’t Base Your Social Life on Alcohol

Whether you’re heading to the pub or on a night out, drinking alcohol can help you to relax after a stressful week. However, it can leave us with nasty hangovers, which will make getting any work done a problem. It is important to have a good balance of social activities, especially when you have many deadlines and can’t afford to take a morning off to recover.

You and your friends could take turns each night for a week to cook a meal for the group and vote for the best dish, or if you have different interests you could try out each other’s favourite hobby. If you have similar hobbies, you could try out a society together.

Research Careers

Some people may already know what career they would like to pursue, whereas others may not be so sure. Spend some time researching what you may like to do, and which path can take you there.

Are there graduate schemes available in your field? Would you like to work for a small company or a worldwide brand? Researching where you are going and how you will get there can help you to focus on your studies and hone in on the skills essential for what you want to do.

The Lancaster Award

The Lancaster Award rewards students who take part in extra-curricular activities. You will be developing career-focused skills, and reflecting on this process. It involves becoming more involved in University activities as well as possibly starting volunteer work or getting a part-time job. The Careers service also offer numerous skill workshops, which you can browse and book on TargetConnect.

The Lancaster Award can motivate you to seek new opportunities and use your free time effectively.

Futhermore, as with researching careers, looking towards your prospects and working towards your career goals can help you to feel more productive and strive for the best in all that you do.

 

Start as you mean to go on

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by Catherine (Student Blogger: BA Hons Advertising and Marketing)

Hey fellow students!

As third week is in full swing, and the un-avoidable stress starts to linger, here’s just some advice on how to make sure you’re on top of your game (and on top of those deadlines), whilst still looking after yourself and keeping those stress levels as low as possible.

Organise Organise Organise.

The first and probably best thing you can do at the start of any year is to organise your upcoming term. Usually I find that making a list of exactly what modules I have each term is the best way to get started. Under each module, I write a list of each assignment I have, that way I know exactly what I’m up against this term. I write these types of lists on an app called Wunderlist- downloading it makes all the difference to my organisation levels.

Here’s what my Wunderlist looks like, adding a list called ‘This Week’ with ‘to do’s’ in for that week helps me stay productive throughout the week

Move Around.

I find one of the worst things about being bogged down with coursework all week long is being shut inside the library for what seems a lifetime. I often find that staying in the same place for a long period of time to do work may seem productive, but can actually have a really negative effect on my concentration levels. Every time you study in a different place, I think you are forcing your brain to form different associations (in the real world) with your study material. Although they are great, there are also a bunch of other places to study other than the library and the Learning Zone. Here’s a few I like to study at:

Costa, Pizzetta, Starbucks (in Cartmel, although it’s a trek it’s usually really quiet), Atkinson’s, Bowland bar is usually pretty quiet too, and they have plugs. Juicafe in town is also usually quiet and creates quite a chilled atmosphere for a bit of researching/reading.

If you go behind the Environmental Sciences building, there’s a quiet seating area with plugs and vending machines.

Eat Healthy.

I used to be awful at this, and until a friend pointed out that I don’t eat often enough, and when I do, it’s all unhealthy, I never understood the huge benefits of eating often, and healthily. Within just a few days of trying, I saw the positive effects it had on my productivity immediately! I had much more energy, and felt more upbeat about my day ahead. I also found myself being able to memorise and concentrate much more throughout the day. I’d say eating more healthy made me 10% more productive, and in a much better mood/mindset about my work throughout the day.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here’s some great places to look!

  • Pinterest
  • BBC Good Food
  • Time Health.
  • WH Foods.org
  • Tasty (Youtube)

Hopefully some of this is useful and helps you make first term as productive (and enjoyable) as possible!

Enjoy x x x

Catherine

 

 

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.