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Tips for getting firsts after a long break from education?

Took a couple of years out of education and want to know any advice on dealing with the workload.
I did a couple of online courses to try to prep myself and have been working out consistently for the brain benefits and to have a good routine before the academic year starts.
Does any one have any advice?

Reply 1

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi Anon,

It's great that you're going back into education, and you seem to have already worked really hard to prepare yourself!

I didn't take a break from education myself, but hopefully I can contribute here. My advice would be to create a schedule early. I found this to be the most helpful for me personally, as I would be able to see everything I had to do, and I didn't have to worry about missing assignments, classes, or wonder when I could take a break. Making a note of all of your assignment deadlines, classes, work shifts (if you have them), and maybe when you workout, do a weekly shop, and the best time to study and complete assignments might help you to keep organized and on top of your workload.

I think it is also extremely beneficial to talk to your lecturers, ask them for recommended materials/resources, and ask for help if and when you need it! They will be more than willing to talk to you about anything and everything related to the content of the course, your assignments, and anything else.

It sounds like you've already set yourself up for success, but also remember to take a break, make some time for yourself, and do things you enjoy.

Best of luck, and I hope this helps!
Isabella

Reply 2

gjd800

The trick for a first is almost always a novel argument which is well substantiated. This involves lots of reading and good planning, and good, organised writing. but there's no secret formula. Read some journals and try to write like they do. Imitation is a good start, then you can get feedback from staff.

Reply 3

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there,

Although I did not take a break from education myself, I hope I can answer your query. :smile:

I think time a management is important, whether this be daily time management or long term. One of the first things I like to do is writing a list of all my coursework deadlines. This helps me to arrange my time better by allocating when to work on seminar preparation, and when to start on coursework.

For coursework, perhaps see if your module has any example questions, so you can learn their style of writing and see what markers look for.

I hope that helps. If you have any other queries I’ll be happy to answer them.

Chloe
University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 4

De Montfort University

Official Rep

Hi there ! I'm also a mature student who spent some time out of education but I managed to keep my academic average high enough this year that if I continue at this level I will be achieving a first when I complete this degree.
I agree with the advise that has been given so far but I also understand how nerve wrecking it may be to be back in education after a long time , my first piece of advise would be to put aside the mentality that this will be harder for you because you haven't studied in a while. Education is like riding a bike , I promise you it will be a little easier once you get the hang of it. Here are some tips that I used :
1.) Utilize all the academic support provided by your faculty , if they are having workshops for skills such as report writing ect. attend them all and use them as a refresher course for you even if it is skills you already have.
2.) Put some time aside everyday to go over what you covered in class.
3.) Come prepared to seminars , have a list of questions from the lecture that you need clarified for you before you go to the seminars that way the seminars are more useful to you.
4.) Create a study group , I was lucky enough to find a group of 5 people who were good at different subjects and that helped me.
5.) If possible get an accountability partner on your course who will keep you on your toes , my accountability partner fosters healthy academic competition and motivated me stay on top of everything.

Goodluck ! and also remember to try to maintain a healthy amount of rest that helped me a lot this year. You can only be at your best if you get enough rest.
Cece ✨
Energy Engineering student
De Montfort University

(edited 8 months ago)