My top five university study tips

So, you’ve been a recluse through A-Level revision, smashed your exams, made it to Leeds Beckett and just about survived Freshers’Week, only to realise that your first deadline is fast approaching and your post-16 study skills aren’t quite cutting it. Well, I’ve got plenty of tried and tested tips to help you stay ahead of your reading list and take charge of your deadlines, so you can save the all-nighters for exploring your new city.

Scheduling your studying

Having (and using!) a diary will really help you to stay afloat at university. The range of modules and the required reading mean that time management is a key skill to be working on and creating a study schedule can help you stay on track. 

Find your optimal studying environment

Try and spend some time in the first few weeks of the term figuring out where you study best. Do you work more efficiently in your room, in a cozy café corner, or at the library? Finding where you feel most comfortable and productive while studying is key to keeping on top of your workload at university. Learn to manage distractions; if you work best in a study group or revising with friends, that’s great! But if you find yourself chatting more than working, you might find that keeping your social life and your study time separate works best for you. 

If you prefer to study at home, try and create a dedicated study space that’s somewhere you enjoy spending time. From experience, my top tip is to try and avoid studying in bed as it can really affect how much sleep you get. Research has shown that when you study in bed, your brain will associate your bed with things other than sleeping and this can lead to poor sleep – not something you want with deadlines looming. If you’d rather keep your studying and relaxing completely separate, you can always head onto campus and get yourself settled in one of the university’s dedicated study spaces, where you can access group study rooms, public computers and spaces for silent study. 

Use active learning techniques

Finding out what kind of learner you are can really help you to make the most of your study time – you can take a quiz online to find out how you learn best. Whether you like written notes, flashcards, study groups or educational videos, knowing what works for you will make studying so much easier.

One of my favourite tips for studying was given to me by my tutor: utilising YouTube. When you start studying at university, you’re going to come across a lot of unfamiliar terms and concepts that can sometimes seem overwhelming and difficult to understand. A quick search on YouTube will usually bring up some great videos that break the concept down and make them much easier to understand, so you can carry on your research with a good base knowledge. It definitely helps with studying when you fully understand the core material!

Organise Your Study Materials

It’s almost guaranteed that your tutors will tell you this until they’re blue in the face but on a serious note from me; stay organised! Colour coding is what works best for me – coloured highlighters, notebooks and tabbed folders for different modules – but use whatever works best to help you stay organised. Once you have access to your module handbooks, a good way to keep your readings, assignments and seminar materials organised is to set up all your folders on your computer so that you know where everything is when it comes to getting started.

I start with a folder for Level 4, 5 and 6, and then in each of these add a folder for each module. Within the module folders, I add a folder for readings (recommended readings, and articles or books I’ve found during my research that might be useful) one for seminar materials, and one for assignments. It might sound a little complicated, but I’ve found that it works well for keeping things separated and knowing where everything is – it’s especially handy if you have modules that might cross over, so you can find related work and articles easily if you need to use them again. 

Take Regular Breaks

As important as it is to stay on top of assignments and studying, it’s just as important to make sure you’re taking regular breaks and making time for yourself – you can’t pour from an empty cup. This is where time management comes in handy! If you struggle with your time management, methods like the Pomodoro technique which encourages short bursts of uninterrupted working followed by a short break, can help you to focus and stay motivated without feeling overwhelmed. Make sure that you spend your breaks doing something completely unrelated to your work – get up and stretch, grab a drink, doomscroll – take your mind off the task at hand and give your brain a few minutes to unwind. And, if you’re rewards motivated like me, grab a little treat for your final break so you’ve got something to work towards! 

Although it can seem overwhelming, studying doesn’t have to be a source of panic – especially when you’re working on a subject you love, which is why we’re all here! You’ve made it this far in your academic journey, and the university is here to support you every step of the way. Try out some of these tips and see if they can make studying that little bit easier to manage.But if you’re struggling or finding it challenging to adapt to higher education you can reach out to the amazing Student Wellbeing Team or have an open and honest discussion with your tutor for help and advice. Good luck!