Finding What Works: Academic study tips

UCL student Dylan Ngan shares how you can find out what works for you when it comes to academic study.

One of the more common tendencies of university life is the feeling of being overwhelmed by what seems to be a significant amount of work, whether within the scope of academics or your personal affairs. In an increasingly hectic world, there are certainly many things to get in order. As a result, it is perfectly normal to feel a slight panic at certain points, when things feel like they are slipping out of hand. Given this, what was useful to me was ensuring I was especially organised.

This meant writing down a list, having a clear overview of everything, allowing for an easier time with planning, prioritising, scheduling and allocation of resources along with setting reminders. Clarity and organisation, being able to divide a seemingly large workload into achievable pieces, is a great step forward to regaining composure, focus and control. You’ll find that developing a system of getting your tasks done on time is good practice. Furthermore, this is an opportune moment to find what sort of organisation style best suits your habits; it’s not about doing the right things, it’s about finding what’s right for you. A schedule is only a guideline; don’t let it dictate your life, let your life dictate your schedule.

Being organised in my daily personal life was also invaluable. It’s important to manage our time in both aspects, as it is often the culmination of things we need to accomplish in one of these areas that end up affecting the other. A big part of immersing yourself in university life and managing your time is finding a sense of stability, establishing habits, getting comfortable and finding a rhythm. Doing chores, doing the shopping, cooking and cleaning are not just beneficial in the obvious practical way, but also grounds you in a state of clarity, giving you a part of your life that you can have a firm grasp on while things are constantly changing and moving about around you. Sometimes, it’s not just about maintenance of an environment, but it’s worth considering rearranging your desk, decorating, reorganising your wardrobe. Maybe you’ll find a more efficient way to do things, maybe it’s about building an atmosphere that expresses your identity.

It’s possible to get enough sleep, not have to go through all-nighters, not have to rush assignments, go to all your lectures, do all your readings and still have enough time to relax, have a social life and do well for your exams and papers. One of the key aspects of achieving this is time management. Rather than doing lots, it’s about efficiency and effectiveness. Most importantly, take care of yourself. If you support your mind and body, they will support you when it comes to your academics.

At the end of the day, we are all trying our best. We’ll be okay, good !

UCL 24/7 Student Support Line is a free, confidential wellbeing service available 24- hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can talk to an adviser by phone on +44 (0) 808 238 0077.