My 5 Tips for Being a Better Student

Cardiff Met Blogger Alwyn shares his techniques to stay organised and work efficiently

University is amazing! You will make great memories friendships that will last a lifetime and you will get the chance to study what you love. Hands down, these have been the best three years of my life. However, when you go to university it is incredibly easy to forget why you’re really there – essentially, to graduate and get a degree. During my time at university I have used different techniques to stay organised and work efficiently, so here are a few tips that might come in handy for you, too.

Keep an organised bedroom

I’m not saying your room needs to be spotless; just keep things in order and keep track of where things are. I keep books piled into their designated subject. This is so I can see all the books I have on one subject rather than them being all over the place.

Use your walls

I find it incredibly useful to have a planner on my wall to keep track of what I’m doing, when I’m doing it. I can quickly and easily see how many weeks I have until me University assignments are in and when I need to start doing work for each one. It’s also hard to lose anything this way!

Create a study playlist

I started this technique at school and I still use it now. You may be thinking ‘but I play music already when I work’. My playlist however is specifically created to get me in the mood for working, as opposed to just being a list of my favourite songs – as I end up singing along and getting distracted!

Re-write your notes

This is the biggest chore you will endure, but trust me; it is worth it. Re-write your scruffy notes into a neat and organised fashion. When you go back to them, you will know exactly where to look and can understand your handwriting easily.

Learn how to write a to-do list

Break down bigger tasks in to bite-sized chunks. For example, don’t write down on a to-do list ‘Write essay’. Instead, ‘write 200 word introduction of essay’ feels more manageable – work step by step through the rest of the essay and it will be done before you know it.

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