How to study effectively at university

How to study effectively at university?

What study tips and tricks work?

How to make sure you really understand something?

How to concentrate in lectures?

Reply 1

Dana_UoEOnline

Hello,

I wrote an article for UniBuddy about how to study effectively (currently unavailable, so here is a Google doc): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dnI2n2-PNd5gbeEWtHdPL5n71sscLzP0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102097272116767048140&rtpof=true&sd=true

Hope this helps!

All the best,
Dana Kafoud
4th-year BSc (Hons) Criminal Psychology student at the University of Essex Online

Reply 2

De Montfort University

Official Rep

Hi!

The questions you asked are very important! Appropriate tactics are the key to academic success :biggrin:

There are plenty of good answers. However, it all depends on the person. Studying and concentration is largely an individual thing. I will share my way with you. I would like to point out that before I worked it out, I tried trial and error until I found the right mechanism for me.

The first and general principle of efficient studying is regularity. A great idea would be to develop a study schedule or timetable that allocates specific times for studying each subject. It will help you remain consistent and motivated.

The second advice is to figure out the best note-taking method for yourself. You will avoid unnecessary deconcentration on incompetent notation, and good notes are a basic tool for later studying.

When learning or in a class, leave all electronic devices out of your reach. Think of it as extra motivation. If you focus as much as possible, you will finish studying much faster, and then you can reward yourself with extra time on social media.

If your assignment seems overwhelming. List all the elements necessary to complete the task. That will create smaller and easier-to-grasp points that you can successively complete and check off your list. Whenever I do that, I finally find the motivation to start.

Make a habit of prioritizing responsibilities. Additionally, always start with the most important ones. That way, you are much less likely to miss the deadline.

Review the presentation before the lecture. That will make it easier to follow along and understand the content. During the lecture, listen to the lecturer and set a goal to complete their presentation so that it is complete and serves as a reliable and comprehensive source of knowledge. That keeps your brain actively processing information. After the lecture, you can create your own notes based on the presentation and your annotations, or read it all over again. Repetition is one of the best ways to consolidate knowledge.

Create concise summaries or outlines of your notes and textbooks. Simplifying complex information into your own words aids understanding and remembering. On the internet, you will also find a lot of quizzes that will allow you to test your memory and consolidate new knowledge.

Change your study location occasionally. Your room can easily get distracting, but the library is a great place. Different environments can help stimulate your brain and prevent monotony.

Join or form study groups with classmates to discuss complex topics and support each other with efficient studying. Teaching and testing each other can deepen your understanding and is another fantastic form of active repetition.

I hope you found that helpful! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions :wink:

You can also chat with me and other student ambassadors through The Ambassador Platform.

Take care,

Julia :h:

Psychology student
De Montfort University

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 3

FutureMissMRCS

Depends on what degree you're doing

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by FutureMissMRCS

Depends on what degree you're doing

Econ

Reply 5

ChiefBrody

as a (business and management) tutor I always encourage my students to bring the assignment questions along right from day 1 - and to reflect on what was discussed / learnt and how it is relevant to the assignment.

Lectures are usually based on a chapter (or several) of the core text - either before or after the lecture (depending on what works best for you), read those chapters. I like to annotate the slides, but that's me

Seminars are often based on a theme (probably from the previous lecture) - before the session you really do want to have read the materials (Lecture, book, assignment). If you have any questions now is a great time to ask them (lectures not so much ime)

If you can keep to this cycle then there is no end of module cramming for the assignment