The 10 best study tips to help you succeed at uni
It’s a new year and the perfect time to get your studies sorted at university. We know it’s sometimes difficult to get going — not knowing where to start or being able to stay focused — but if you want to succeed at uni, then you must get your approach to studying sorted. Here we’ll share some tried and tested tips to help you learn better and improve performance across coursework and/or exams.
1. Set out your study goals
Don’t study aimlessly without knowing what you want to achieve. Instead, set specific goals for each session. This will mean you’re able to learn for shorter amounts of time without overloading your brain but ensures you take away everything you needed to from the session. It also helps your brain to retain information by having breaks in between sessions, so it’s a win-win.
2. Study in manageable blocks of time
Schedule and stick to it. Our brains have actually been proven to retain information better when studying in smaller blocks of time — 20 to 30 minutes to be exact — so it’s recommended to schedule your sessions accordingly. These timescales also make a study session more manageable and rewarding, as you can schedule them into your busy day with no problem and still do the things you want to do the rest of the time.
3. Set your time to focus
Try setting focus alarms to alert you once your study session is complete, for example, after 30 minutes. If you’re worried that you’ll gravitate to your phone instead of concentrating, move your phone away or turn it upside down during this time so you can’t be distracted. Do everything you can to focus for this short stint, and your alarm will go off in no time.
4. Study where you feel comfortable
Finding a place to study is conducive to productivity. From your bedroom to the studio, library to the garden, studying wherever you work best will help you learn better and faster. In London, there is also an amazing range of coffee shops and green space to get you out and about, working on the go. Get inspired and find the right location for you.
5. Take practice tests
Just like at school, going over past papers or creating your own tests to take highlights the areas where your knowledge is strongest and, importantly, the topics on which you need to practice a bit more. By completing practice tests before the real thing, your confidence will also grow in the exam setting, and you’ll be better prepared when the big day comes.
6. Create your own study cards
Studying can sometimes be boring, but it doesn’t need to be that way. To avoid reading and rereading over your notes and workbooks, create your own flashcards. This will help you highlight the key points of your studies in a new and engaging way, challenging your brain to truly understand the topics and facts that it needs to.
7. Try explaining your topics out loud
By challenging yourself to talk about your topics out loud and explaining them in a logical way to someone who perhaps does not understand the topic, your brain can better remember and layout the concept, retaining the information and improving topic-recall.
8. Listen to music if it helps you concentrate
Even if your preferred music is electro-house or death metal, these genres are likely not conducive to productivity as they can be distracting. From heavy beats to lyrics you just have to sing along to, it’s essential to choose study music that helps you concentrate. For example, classical, jazz and low-fi beats with no lyrics are favoured choices for study time. Choose whatever works for you.
9. Study with other people
There’s a reason why study groups are so popular. It’s a recommended way to ensure you are working at optimum productivity — keeping each other motivated and on track — while also being able to help each other out and even test another person. Forming a study group is easy; simply ask those in your class if they are open to it, and your university may already have measures in place to kick off group study, so ask your tutor.
10. Have fun
That’s right, we really just said that. Studying has a bad reputation of being boring or hard, but like any other situation, making the best of it certainly helps towards your enjoyment. Taking care of your mental health at university is hugely important, so don’t let studying get you down. Settle in with a hot drink in your favourite mug, get comfortable, set the scene and just get going. When your session is complete and out of the way, go out and enjoy your spare time. You’ve earned it!
Getting the most out of your studies is vital for the success of your university career, so we hope these ten tips will help you learn better this year. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get studying!
