Top tips for successful study at university
When entering at university, you may be wondering how it will be
different from what you are used to. Of course, many things will be
the same, only at a higher academic level. The main differences are:
→ You have more control and independence over what,
when and how you study.
→ Understanding and critical thinking are more important
than remembering.
Here you have some tips that will help you succeed ∈ your
academic studies at university.
1. Firstly, it\\'s up to you to organise your study – both how
you\\'re going to do things and when. You may find that all of
your assignments are due at the same time, so a bit of forward
planning for staggered deadlines will save you a lot of panic at
the last minute.
2. Get yourself informed about things like timetables, room
locations, deadlines and guidelines for assignments. It\\'s your
responsibility to do this – no-one will remind you!
Your programme handbook is the best source of information
about your programme of study. Make sure you know where
you\\'ve put it, or how to access it online – you\\'ll probably need it
later ∈ the term.
3. Make useful notes, not copious ones – if you try to write
down everything the lecturer says you won\\'t be able to focus
on listening. Take notes on selected points and \underline or
highlight the important ones to make them more obvious. Add
any thoughts of your own that arise, but make it clear that
they\\'re your own ideas. Check what\\'s going to be ∈ the
handouts – you may not need to note things like dates and
figures.
4. Think critically about everything you read, see or hear –
consider whether you agree or disagree with it and then (most
importantly) work out why you think the way you do. Remember
that just because it\\'s∈ print (or your lecturer says it), doesn\\'t
mean it must be \right.
[…]
5. And finally... grow your skills! Just as you will grow and
flourish at university, your study practices will need to develop
too. You can help this process by learning from the feedback
from your tutors, and by reflecting on what you do well, or could
do better. Reading these tips is just the start.
Good luck, and enjoy your time!
(Retrieved and adapted from https://www.reading.ac.uk/closed/ Welcome/before-you-arrive/fr-ten-top-tips-for-successful-study-atuniversity. aspx. Access on April, 8th, 2015)
The pronouns they (line 28) and it (line 32) refer, respectively, to:
