Laurynas' top tips on how to organise your studies for success

Undergraduate ambassador Laurynas shares his advice on how to organise your studies for success.

Learning effectively is perhaps the most crucial aspect for any individual who wishes to be successful, whether that is in school, university or work. When a student transitions from high school to university, that’s when studying can become challenging as you also have to deal with the daily tasks of ‘adult life’ such as making your own meals, washing your own clothes whilst also making time to study and socialise. The following list of suggestions on how to organise your studies for success is not exhaustive nor perfect however it works for me. Most of the time students coming to a high-level academic institution have already established their own studying practices which are greatly subject to individuality.

Plan ahead

In my belief, the first aspect of successful studying is getting organised. The first element of getting organised is planning study sessions which means developing an agenda for each study session. As a student you need to ask yourself the following questions when planning your study schedule:

• When is it going to happen? Planning your time to study very much depends on your personal preferences however research implies that you are more productive if you study in the morning. 
• Where is it going to happen? You need to know where your preferred study environment is.
• What I am going to study? Finally, you need to clarify what your goals are for each study session so you can set yourself achievable goals.

Establish a routine

Another important element of organising your studies for success is establishing a routine. It will increase the chances that you stay on top of everything that you need to do. Once you receive the course content for each module that you're studying it will be easier for you to create your study schedule. I would recommend that you include blocks of time for regular studying and reading, as well as giving yourself extra time to prepare for tests and projects such as research papers. Lastly, it is important to understand that getting into a routine will be the driving force of efficient studying, rather than relying on pure motivation.

The aforementioned points greatly benefited me when I was preparing for my exams during my first year when I was really nervous and needed to establish a routine for myself.

Preparing for exams

While the first part of my blog focused on the general approach to studying effectively, the following part of my blog aims to illustrate the techniques I use to prepare for my exams:

• Firstly I like to break each of my modules down into 10 weeks, as most modules run for 10 weeks at a time. I then go through 1 weeks' worth of content per day, and for me, this normally means spending a few hours revising every day.
• I go through all my lecture notes, problem sets and reading lists to ensure I have clearly understood all the topics I need to.  
• I, therefore, spend approximately 10 days revising each module but I like to leave a 'contingency day' just in case there is anything extra I need to spend time focusing on.
• I try to ensure that I connect each topic together so that I am able to retain as much information as possible in preparation for my exams.
• Finally, one of the most important tips I can give to you is to make sure you stay healthy and keep active. This will help to make sure that you keep a healthy balance between your studies and revision.
• It's also imperative that you take time out to socialise with your friends and do something fun away from your studies.

I hope my suggestions and tips will help you organise your studies for success!

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