Looking for ways to stay on top of your studies and succeed academically? To master university-level courses, most of us could use a little help with study, time management and/or organizational skills.
Start by asking yourself these questions, to see if you've laid the groundwork for academic success:
- Am I taking too many (or too few!) courses?
- There's no set rule for the ideal number of courses to take, for academic success - it all depends on what's best for you
- Am I spending too little time studying? (or too much? both can be a problem!)
- University courses are structured to require lots of independent study time outside of class. How much time depends on the individual, but here's a good starting rule:
- If a course has 3 hours of in-class time, plan to spend at least an additional 4.5 hours reading and learning the course material every week, right from the beginning of term
- For a full course load (15 in-class hours a week) that translates into a full-time job - 35-40 schoolwork hours a week - so plan accordingly
- University courses are structured to require lots of independent study time outside of class. How much time depends on the individual, but here's a good starting rule:
- Am I doing the required readings every week, at some point before the lecture?
- Am I regularly reviewing my lecture notes and course readings, each week?
If you're wondering how to study, manage your time, get what you need from the readings, organize your priorities, research your essay, write your thesis - whatever! -- there are many academic support services on campus to help you figure it all out and discover what works best for you.
Maximize your learning power by making use of all the university has to offer - don't wait until you're struggling and in trouble. Check out the following on-campus resources, before things get out of hand and you're feeling overwhelmed:
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- Learning Skills Services provides workshops and individual sessions on skill development.
- The Learning Commons offers supports for writing, research, learning skills and career.
- The colleges offer lots of services to help you succeed academically. You can find College Tutoring Supports here.
- Or you can check out the daily list of on-campus events and workshops on-line.
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You've already paid for all these awesome resources, through your student fees, so don't wait until you feel overwhelmed, before accessing them.
Because students are whole people, academic success rests on more than just effective organizational and study skills, important as those are. For more support resources and on-campus help, read on....
