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