Hi all,
In today’s post, I am going to talk about 3 very important skills that I personally think everyone should hone and master! After finishing my 2B term, I sat and thought about some essential basic skills that play a role academically.
It was a little bittersweet because looking back, I wish I had known these before entering university. However, it’s never too late to practice and really develop these skills! I do hope they can help you in some way or another 🙂 (My personal tips can be seen in green!)
1. Organizing your time.
I cannot stress how important managing your time is. The transition from high school to university can be difficult if you don’t know how to manage your time, especially if you’re living away from home. You have to balance everything out. New responsibilities (cooking, laundry, cleaning), social activities, sleep schedule, extra curriculars, and your study schedule, (also job hunting too if you’re coop or finding an internship).
For myself, I found that when midterm season rolls around, I found that I lacked in all of these compartments (responsibilities, social activities, sleep, study schedule- everything lol).
I highly recommend organizing your time and planning out your study schedule, the first week of the semester. This is the perfect time to get organized since you are given syllabuses the first day of classes; assignments have not started, and labs usually start the 2nd week. I also want to stress that sleep is incredibly important, and although you can “function” on x amount of sleep, it will shift the next day’s schedule (even if you’ve been a “night owl” all your life) –Experience
Meal prep will be your best friend. Whenever I meal prep, I’ll cook portions that will last a few days. I have friends who will meal prep the entire week. Although it’ll take a little bit out of your day, it’ll save you money, and potentially be even healthier. Have cheap meals stocked for busy days, especially when midterms or finals come along. Instant noodles and soup cans save the day when you’re pressed for time 🙂
Currently, I use Google Calendar as a tool to plan everything out. Additionally, with its neat functions (colour coding, task list, reminders that can sync to your phone), and the export class schedule from UW flow, it can serve as your agenda from the start to the end of the semester. Plus, if you don’t complete a task, it’s pretty flexible in that you can always adjust the hours or shift it to the next day. I am still experimenting with organizational tools, but using Google Calendar and writing short-term task goals on sticky notes seems works the best for me, as of now!
Especially when midterms roll around, you STILL have quizzes, assignments, and classes still going on. Everything does *not* pause for midterms. Midterms are an additional add to your existing schedule with additional studying that needs to be done.
2. Prioritizing.
I feel like this is probably an underrated skill in university.
Generally, everyone has an idea of what to prioritize. For instance, finishing the assignment that’s due tomorrow over studying for a midterm that’s a month away. Although that is really important in deciding what you should be working on, that’s not what I’m talking about.
Beyond the scope of the “order” of what tasks/events you should do… to maximize your efficiency in learning a material, you really need to pinpoint main concepts and ideas.
What I learnt (through the hard way) is that, especially in higher years, exams aren’t going to be on the tiny details. For example, your professor isn’t going to test you what year was the double helix theory proposed in (although it’s 1953 for all you curious people out there!).
Years, names of famous people, fun facts, or extra details are unlikely to be on your exam unless your professor really emphasizes them, it’s a fact- or theory-heavy course, or something like a history class. Generally, these are for your information. Even if a question like that appears on the exam, it’ll take up 1 multiple choice… vs… over 5 on the process of DNA transcription.
I’m not trying to advocate spending less time studying or studying *just* to get a good mark on the exam, but to recognize main concepts and ideas. You’ll see the bigger picture, connect smaller, supporting ideas, and ultimately, connect the dots to your learning :D. It especially helps when you’re cramming (WHICH YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING ANYWAYS >.>…), this can help you save a lot of time while still grabbing as many points as possible!
Hopefully, it’ll help you guys study more efficiently, and studying the right material!
I personally don’t know how to tackle this problem myself, but I will be trying out writing summaries for each unit or chapter. Other tips I have are: looking at the goals or objectives and topic titles! Hmm… the Cornell Method looks promising too!
3. Knowing how to learn, and your study-style.
Countless times, I’ve been told that the “ultimate” purpose of university, is learning… how to learn. This can be applicable to real life situations. From learning a new skill to developing social skills, to even understanding the purpose behind a game. All in all, knowing how to learn helps develop your knowledge and advance your capabilities.
This is too broad of a topic to discuss in one post, however, knowing how you learn best is mainly dependent on a trial-and-error basis.
Essentially, you want to identify how you learn best or if there’s a specific study-style you prefer the most. You can usually identify your learning style through an online quiz.
It might be a visual learner, an auditory, kinesthetic, logical learner, etc.
You might excel in one, excel in a few, or even be well-rounded. Whatever it may be, I recommend experimenting your learning style and study techniques before entering university since the repercussions aren’t at a high-risk (i.e. cost factor, marks, time).
*sigh* Again, I learnt this the hard way e_e, but it’s definitely not too late. I’ve been studying and learning how to study (in general) through many Youtube videos and friends. I’d be more than happy to recommend some videos and share my findings once I do a little more exploring!
In addition, DO explore different study locations. Whether it might be studying at home, a library, coffee shop… with friends, independently, or perhaps a mixture of all these things! DO keep in mind that for some courses, one study-style might work really well, but be a complete U-turn for another.
The goal here is to develop a mindset that’s both adaptable and open to change and variability.
From my understanding, once you ace this skill, learning a new concept or idea should “click” in your brain with more ease 😀
Bonus: Dealing with stress!!
Sometimes, university can be overwhelming. A new environment, a large course load, sudden life events, a sense of loneliness, or even sometimes, you’re pressed for time.
In whatever case it might be, it’s great practice to develop a coping system during stressful times.
Remember that you’re not alone! If you’re feeling the blues, a call home to your parents or having a talk with a friend can calm the waves.
Also! Burning out is a very real thing. Remember not to overwork yourself, and take small breaks to mentally give your brain a break. Otherwise, you might end up being less motivated and productive over a long period of time.
Some of my favourites are… taking a slow 20-minute walk, eating some comfort food (and grabbing some bubble tea :D), and listening to your favourite tunes with your eyes closed.
Finally, in closing, there are also resources on campus and student peer volunteers willing to listen and help. If there doesn’t seem to be anyone you’re comfortable talking to, feel free to shoot me an email under Contacts, and I’ll be happy to help the best I can :). You’re welcome to stay anonymous!
Anyways, that’s it for this post. I hope these tips will help you all out 🙂
What do you think are some essential skills? 🙂 Lemme know!
-TCC
the cell chronicles 