So you’ve successfully made it through the first few weeks of trimester. Now what?
If you read our earlier blog post ‘Ten top tips for preparing for semester two’ you should be have felt prepared and ready to go for week one. So now that you are back at uni and things are starting to get busy you may be wondering how you can stay on top of things. Well we are here to help once again with ten top tips to help you stay on track during trimester.
- Revisit your goals
Every so often take some time to revisit the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of trimester. By revising your goals, you are able to remind yourself of what you want to achieve this trimester and will help to keep you on track. It also serves as a great source of motivation when you can’t seem to focus on study.
- Make a weekly plan
Spend some time each Sunday or Monday to prepare a weekly plan for yourself. Start by making a list of the week’s main priorities; then work backwards to figure out how you will ensure they are completed and deadlines are met. If you aren’t the kind of person who can stick to an hour by hour schedule start with something more broad, such as a daily goal, and see how it works for you.
- Find your study style
If you haven’t already, practice different study techniques and note taking styles until you find something that suits you. You may realise that the key for you to remember more information is to simply re-listen to lecture captures or perhaps you are better at remembering information from writing it down a few times. Try some different styles out to see what suits you.
- Find your balance
Ah yes the usual advice everyone gives students. But seriously, having a healthy balance between all of the different activities you are juggling in life is essential. One way to do this is to figure out how much time all of your activities take each week and then fit them in like a puzzle. If you notice that something takes way longer than it should (e.g. time spent browsing social media) than maybe it is time to reevaluate your decisions.
- Take library workshops
If you have never thought about taking a Library Workshop before, now is certainly a great time to do so. They offer a wide range of workshops on anything from referencing to how to begin your essay planning. Mastering your referencing skills can really make a difference to your marks and from experience can even push you into a higher grade bracket.
- Book some appointments
There are so many different and amazing services available to help you out on campus. Whether you need to speak to someone about handling stress or any mental health issues you can speak to the Griffith Counselling service. Or maybe you need some advice with your career direction, in which the Careers and Employment Service can help.
- Start your assignments ahead of time
This is something that is drilled into us all the time at university, but starting assessments early really does help you to stay on track. I know that everyone is different and some people do their best work the night before an essay or assignment is due, however, it saves so much stress and worrying and offers the chance to read over and edit your work before submission.
- Choose your groups wisely
Group assignments are a dreaded reality for a good majority of university students. I cannot stress enough how important it is to find a good group for your assessments. Now a ‘good group’ may mean different things to different people. If you are someone that wants a HD, find other people who want to work towards that same goal (people who genuinely want that goal and aren’t just agreeing because they think they will get an easy ride). If you are someone who just wants to pass than that is fine – find people who want the same thing. So much extra stress can be eliminated this way.
- Keep on track of your grades
Throughout trimester make sure you keep an eye on where your grades are sitting. This way you know what you need to attain on your next piece of assessment to achieve the overall mark you want for that course. It is also a great way to monitor which assessment is of more importance when you are down on time and have two pieces due the same day.
- Breathe
Lastly, but importantly – take a moment to breathe. In order to make it through 13 weeks of study you need to give your brain a little rest every now and then. Take some time each day to practice being mindful, if you don’t, you may end up burning out and not being able to make it through to the end of trimester.
What is your number one tip to keep on track this trimester?
Until next time – Hayley
