First, studying at a university should be perceived as a temporary phenomenon. Yes, it seems that a year in a master’s program or four years in a bachelor’s degree will take forever, but at high intensity, time flies by. Secondly, you are not the first and not the last student who studies in this mode. In the case of educational ambiguity, contact the training center for help from tutors. They will help you quickly adapt. City University Ajman is one of the leading universities in Ajman, providing work-integrated learning opportunities and getting students out in the world. In this article, we have jotted down some simple and easy-to-follow tips that any university student can follow in a fun way.
At the beginning of their studies, students are given descriptions of the course programs – syllabuses, where the dates of all control and exams are very clearly spelled out. Also, teachers discuss the main study stages in the first lesson. This is useful information if you approach it systematically and make a study schedule. Such planning will be useful for spreading the workload, as many studies recommend studying the material, not at once but a little bit but every day.
Determine when you have key dates for each subject and how much material you need to master, and try to study for 20-40 minutes every day. Information will be assimilated more efficiently and accumulated in long memory. So you will understand more material, and before the exam, you will only have to repeat everything.
From the beginning of the study, it will seem that there is enough time for everything, but this is an erroneous feeling. It is better to take and complete tasks as early as possible. Sometimes teachers, before the final exam, distribute to whom and when to make presentations and group projects. Feel free to be proactive, take the first assignment, and turn it in on time, as the number of assignments from different teachers will only grow further, and you risk getting bogged down in deadlines.
It sounds like common sense advice, but notes from lectures really help to structure and restore the material in self-study. It’s also helpful to share your notes with other students, so you don’t miss anything important. It is useful to reread the notes in the next 24 hours after the lecture, as well as before class. Once again, you give the brain a signal to update the information and send it to long-term memory.
There are several note-taking styles. Understand which suits you best: it is more convenient to type or write; How do you better understand information: linearly or through charts and diagrams? Do not try to write down everything after the teacher, it will only take your time. It is better to fix the main idea that the professor wants to convey – this way, you will understand the material more deeply and will be able to formulate questions if something is not clear.
This is perhaps the main point. Reading and cramming the night before an exam will not have a profound effect since a large amount of information that you try to remember in a short time will quickly evaporate from short memory. Understanding is important in reading books and articles. Take small notes on the text, brief conclusions after individual sections, and write down what you understand or paraphrase what you just read. Translate unfamiliar words in texts only if they are key to understanding.
Read critically, and ask questions about the text if you disagree or do not understand something.
To consolidate the material, it is also useful to participate in reading groups – groups of students who read one text and gather to discuss it. Usually, to prepare for such meetings, you already need to jot down a few questions in the text.
If you are studying material with a lot of facts: dates, events, important names, formulas, concepts, and definitions, use flashcards – memory cards, like in a memory game or a quiz: on one side, write the date, name, formula, on the other side what on this date, it happened what a person with this name became famous for and what theory the formula describes. Such cards can be made throughout the semester.
Start with the first lessons, and by the end of the course, you will already have a basic catalog of knowledge with which you can prepare for exams.
When there is not enough time, and the reading list does not end, you can use existing resources, which contain the so-called study guides – abstracts and summaries of literary works, main topics, and concepts from different disciplines.
While studying, try not to become isolated. The most interesting ideas come through interaction, discussion, retelling, and discussions with classmates, and the material is absorbed faster and more efficiently. Participate actively in group work, and make a couple of friends with whom you are most comfortable sitting together in the library or discussing what you read. Socialization is useful for more effective assimilation of material and mental health – you will be a support group for each other.
A good university can help students to build their self-confidence and independence. A student’s life is not just about learning; the experience will enrich your life too. Enroll with City University Ajman at cu.ac.ae–– increase your knowledge, and study what you love.