How to Do Well In Your Courses

Regardless of the subject an individual chooses to study, every student struggles at some point with doing well in their courses and staying on track. Staying organized, studying in the most productive manner, and maintaining your mental health are all key aspects of doing well in courses that can be further tailored to a student’s specific needs. Here are some tips to help you succeed in your studies acquired through the experiences of current university students.

Organization:

• Use A Planner: Good organization is directly linked to better time management, allowing for the appropriate amount of time allotted for each course, and less feelings of stress. Using a planner is often the best way to keep track of all subjects and important dates such as midterm and final exam dates. It is also a helpful way of outlining everything that needs to be done and identifying what may be a priority. Additionally, it can help you plan for outside of school activities such as family and social events. Variations of a planner can include different pen or highlighter colours, different symbols for urgency, or simply lots of space to write yourself notes.
• Manage Time Efficiently: It is recommended to stay current with all deadlines so that nothing is missed or left until the last minute. Having a system in place that allows you to expect and prepare for busier times means you can plan your study schedule to give each course a fair amount of time. When you are able to stay up to date and manage you time correctly, you will feel better overall.
• Separate Course Material: It can be easy to keep all course materials together in one binder for ease, but this will eventually lead to mix up and confusion of what paper is from which course. Make a habit of keeping materials from each course in separate binders so that you are organized. You can take this a step further by having all your notes and chapter material in numerical order so that you know exactly where to find the information you need.
• Declutter Your Study Space: You will get more paper and notes as the semester progresses and your study area could end up being messy. Keeping an organized study space is also important to ensure no time is wasted by reviewing things that you have already done or having to find certain papers that have gone missing. Take a moment every one or two weeks to clean up your space and throw out or recycle all the papers you do not need. Less clutter allows for you to focus only on what is important and will help you feel more organized as you only have the essentials on your desk. The below picture is an example of a well organized desk that allows for better studying.

• Prepare for The Next Day: Preparing for the next day will help you get ready and organized. Before going to bed each night, review your next day’s class material before putting your necessary binders, textbooks, and stationery into your bag. Additionally, set aside what you will wear the next day or mentally visualise your outfit. Doing this will make you feel less stressed, save time getting ready, and prepare you to tackle the next day.

Studying Tips:

• Create Consistent Study Habits: Studying a little bit every day is more beneficial than studying hard once every few days. Having a consistent study schedule will help you remember old material better, while doing long study sessions can be stressful and not as useful. When you have an organized schedule, you can allot time to studying for a course each day, which is more productive and less stressful than trying to cram a large amount of information in a short amount of time right before an exam. This helps you to create consistency in studying, which will eventually develop into a very helpful habit.
• Go to Class: All university students find that they have more freedom now that they are out of high school, and students tend to skip class as a result. Do not skip class even if your friends in class do. Going to class is the best way to learn the material rather than having to waste more time later catching up on the missed lecture. Attending classes is also often helpful with studying outside of class, as you can identify what the important points are, and professors may even point out things that will be useful on an exam.
• Talk to Your Professor: If you have questions about any areas of your class, the best person to talk to is your instructor. Breaks before, during, and after class are good times to speak to your professor and develop a relationship so that you can feel comfortable asking questions you may have while studying. If you are unable to talk to them during these times, professors will have office hours outside of class time which can be used to help you. If in-person discussions are out of your comfort zone, email is another helpful resource for communicating with a professor.
• Create A Study Method: Finally, it is extremely beneficial to identify a study method that works best for you. While studying with a group and discussing ideas may be helpful for some people, others may benefit more from using that time to create flashcards or silently review notes. Experiment with different study methods, find the one you like the most, and do it.

Mental Health:

• Maintain a Balanced Lifestyle: A healthy balance between school, work, extra curriculars, and other important aspects of your life is key in remaining calm while still getting everything completed. Everyone’s balance is different, but creating a balance that works for you is more important that the actual time allotted to each. Maintaining a positive mental health throughout a semester will help in succeeding in any course, ensuring that you are in the right frame of mind to work at your best.
• Learn to Deal with Stress: Stress is a part of life and learning to handle it is key to having solid mental health. There are many different methods for dealing with stress such as working out, going on nature walks, playing games, or talking to others. Additionally, laughter has been proven to be a great way to improve mental health and stress levels as it has many positive effects such as boosting the immune system, relaxing the whole body, releasing endorphins, and even helping you live a longer life (Robinson, Smith, & Segal, 2019).
• Get Enough Sleep: Getting enough sleep builds a good foundation for a healthy mental state. Dr. Epstein, medical director of Sleep HealthCenters says that “recent studies have shown that adequate sleep is essential to feeling awake and alert, maintaining good health and working at peak performance…” (Epstein, 2017) . Studies have shown that students that demonstrate poor sleep hygiene are more likely to develop sleep problems and affect their academic performances (Epstein, 2017).
• Exercise: Exercise is a great method for maintaining good mental and physical health. Everyone deals with stress and exercising is a great way to release it. Additionally, it helps keep you in physical shape, boost your energy and makes you feel good. You also do not need to spend multiple hours a day exercising, just 30 minutes a day can make the difference.

At the end of the day, it is up to you to be proactive and apply yourself in order to achieve your goals. These are some tips that will help you get a head start in succeeding in your courses and your entire university experience. The university experience is a unique one so enjoy the moment and the process, good luck!

Bibliography

Epstein, L. (2017, November 6). College students: getting enough sleep is vital to academic success. Retrieved from https://aasm.org/: https://aasm.org/college-students-getting-enough-sleep-is-vital-to-academic-success/

Robinson, L., Smith, M., & Segal, J. (2019, June). Laughter is the Best Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm