With deadlines and exams starting to loom, finding the right kind of studying for you is even more important. It varies for everyone, whether you like mind-maps or flashcards, and whether you prefer to sit in the library or in your bed.
For me it depends on my mood and even just the day of the week, I’m a big fan of both my bed and the library (as they serve different purposes). As a third year I’ve been through the whole range of submission types: exams, essays, reflective logs and even news stories (I am a journalism student after all!) Here I’ve got your perfect guide of ways to study, and where you can be doing it.
As I’ve already said, the studying method varies by the person but it can also depend on the requirements of the submission, if you’re doing an essay you’re not going to ‘study’ for it in the same way as an exam…
- Programme of study: if you have an exam or a list of the content of your module, I find it useful to write it out in full with all definitions, lists and theories included.
- Mind-maps: I’m a big fan of the colourful mind-map, but the most important thing with them is to not include everything, condense it down and shorten sentences to help you learn the information.
- Flashcards: similarly, a flash card isn’t meant to have everything on it, use them for definitions or important pieces of information and you can even revise with friends to test yourself.
- Plans: while it can be harder to ‘study’ if you’re just writing an essay, write a plan for each paragraph/section so as you know what information needs to be included and you don’t lose focus.
- Listen to recordings: this one might sound a bit strange and can only work for certain things, but I have known people to see great benefit in recording themselves reading their notes/talking about them and then listening to it back while they sleep to take in the information.
- YouTube: depending on your course, YouTube can be a great resource because a lot of people have already studied it and may have made videos that can ‘teach’ you.
- Lecture slides: lastly, BlackBoard is a great resource and was made to be used, so when lecturers put their slides up it’s a good idea to go through and read them – even if it’s just to revise last minute.
As the library gets more and more busy, it can be a less than pleasing to study in – that’s if you can even get a seat. So here’s a list of places around Lincoln where you can study in peace…
- Alfred Tennyson Building: The third floor has lots of study ‘pods’ with desks, plug sockets and comfy chairs which is perfect if you’ve got a gap in lectures, or there is even the PG common room if you’re studying a postgrad.
- Minerva Building: Similarly, Minerva has learning lounges with desks, plug sockets and comfy chairs which are perfect for group meetings, although it can get busy at peak times of day.
- Coffee shops: Spending a day in a coffee shop can be a perfect place to study, as long as you buy something at some point, you can stay as long as you need – but make sure you grab a loyalty card to grab points and bring your own reusable cup to save money!
- Grassy spaces: When it starts to get sunnier, sitting on the grass outside Isaac Newton or even in the Arboretum could be the perfect place to get some work done.
- Tower Bar/The Swan: At these on-campus eateries you can grab some food and get work done, even better when the money you spend goes back into your Students’ Union.
- In bed: You may as well accept that some days you just need to sit in bed to get your work done, and that is completely okay too!
Check out our other post to see more about the places you can study!
This article is featured on Learning at Lincoln.
Please note: This content was created prior to Coronavirus, and some things might be different due to current laws and restrictions. Please refer to the University of Lincoln for the latest information.
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