How to do well in College/University | Advice

It's quite straightforward really, but harder said than I know...

1) Attend all your lectures

As much as you think they might be useless or boring. Your lecturer will notice that you are a regular and might keep that in mind when marking your assignments/exams and they are the majority of what your exams are based on.

2) Attend all tutorials or extra classes

Sometimes just showing face can get you far in life. And you never know when you might just be rewarded for your efforts!

3) Ask for help - but prove that you can be helped

Although asking for help can be embarassing sometimes, there are going to be things that you don't understand or can't quite grasp. This does not mean you are stupid. Often asking for help shows that you are invested and that you are willing to go the extra mile. Ask a friend who takes the same class, a tutor or your lecturer. No question is a stupid question, and if anyone implies that it is, report them. It is always a good idea to go into whatever meeting you've made to get help prepared. Make sure you know exactly what you are going to ask and be able to prove that you have already tried to help yourself by doing research, extra readings and so on.

4) Hand your work in on time

Handing work in late purely because of poor time management will certainly jeapordise your marks.

5) Work consistently

Keep up with your work during term so that you don't spend all your time trying to catch up work an understand things that you haven't gotten around to yet when it is actually time to be studying. When exams come around you want to be spending time on revising what you already know.

6) Go the extra mile

If there are assignments that you can do for extra credit or if your lecturer has recommended extra readings - do them! Always strive to better yourself and build upon what you already know.

Great Website for Academic Advice

Hi all :)

I have discovered a fantastic website for academic tips, especially for College/University called academictips.org It covers everything from time management to note taking and how to manage your money as a student. This is a great source of information particularly if you are going to be starting College/Varsity soon or if you are going to start applying in the near future...it even gives you advice for writing entrance essays. I just thought I would share this useful site that I stumbled upon...enjoy!

**Click here to visit the website

A College/University Student's Guide To Surviving Exams | How To

I have officially survived 3 years of University level exams and I'm about to go in for the 4th year. I have learned a lot along the way. This advice is not the usual: exercise, eat healthily etc. etc. That doesn't necessarily work for everyone. But here are some things that I have found to really help:


1) Drink PLENTY of water. 
They say 8 glasses per day. They also say 1 glass per 10kgs that you weigh. My opinion is drink as much as you can handle. If your bladder is anything like mine, you will need the bathroom pretty often. But keep in mind that it is flushing out all those nasty toxins that get in the way of your brain absorbing information. Also, for those of you who write exams in the middle of Summer, it's important to keep hydrated.

2) Stay away from people who will bring you down.
When you're studying (or cramming...let's be realistic), you want to stay as self-motivated as possible. You also want to feel confident in your own knowledge and abilities. Being around people who complain and are mostly negative about exams will not help you. Rather surround yourself with people who are willing to work just as hard as you are. That way you will have positive influences around you to guide you when you are feeling discouraged. When people are going through things together, they tend to adopt a common attitude.

3) Take a break after every exam.
Even if your exam timetable sucks and you have all your subjects in a row, it really helps to take a break after every paper. After sitting an exam (whether it be an hour long or 5 hours long), your brain, body and even your soul needs time to recouperate before you hit the books again. Most of the time I would recommend having a decent nap. But if you are too scared that you won't wake up fresh enough to carry on studying, do something that requires little energy. If you have 2 exams in the same day, go for a quick walk or have some lunch etc.

4) Always set more than one alarm!
Experience has taught me that even if you are the most responsible person in the world when it comes to exams, there is always the chance that something goes wrong. If you usually use your alarm on your phone, make sure that it is fully charged before you hit the sack. BUT, do yourself a favour and invest in a good old-fashioned alarm clock (they are not very expensive these days) that you can keep at your bedside. At least you will be gaurenteed to wake up. You don't ever want to be in a position where you have to explain to your Head of Department that you slept through your exam.

5) If you are addicted to something that helps you procrastinate, get someone to keep it from you during exams.
If you're anything like me, you can sit for hours watching endless YouTube videos and playing Tetris on Facebook. If you find yourself spending too much time doing these things when you should actually be settling down to study, get a friend to keep your laptop for you during the time that you have set aside to study. I'm not saying starve yourself of your luxuries. But get to know your own habits and identify where you waste the most of your time.