This page is being developed for students and aims to be a helpful resource to them by giving them practical tips, guidance and advice on how they can improve their study skills and thereby become better learners.

Having effective and proper study skills is not only essential to achieving good academic qualifications and grades. These abilities also have other benefits as well, such as boosting a individuals confidence, lowering their stress levels, saving time and having a positive effect on fellow undergraduates.

The basics
Initially it is important to try different approaches to studying and then monitoring and reviewing the results. By experimenting with various techniques and probing your strengths as well as your weaknesses you will ultimately find the study methods that will best work for you.

Why it’s important to have a effective learning programme
By practising the most efficient way to study undergraduates can learn to:

  • Improve their powers of concentration.
  • Get more from lessons and lectures.
  • Analyse information more quickly and efficiently.
  • Be better prepared for examinations.
  • Understand theories and subject matter better.
  • Make better use of resources.
  • Become more accurate in their assignments and coursework.
  • Increase a undergraduates enthusiasm for their course.
  • Think more about what they are learning.
  • Plan their studies more effectively.
  • Become more involved in what they are studying.

Improving your reading skills
First skim over the material to get a overview of what it’s about. Scan the text to look for key information that is relevant to the subject. Whilst reading ask yourself questions about what you have just read. After reading it ask yourself if you have understood its meaning, if not then consider re-reading it again. It’s important to work on understanding what you have read rather than simply memorising it.

Learn from feedback
Have a pro-active approach by obtaining feedback from lecturers, doing this can help you can find out if your study methods are working or not. It is a powerful, effective and underused tool in developing a persons study skills and identifying problems earlier.

Motivational techniques

  • Have a clear vision of your long term and short term goals. These could be things like your ideal career job or your aim of completing your assignment on time.
  • Give yourself rewards for completing tasks on time or is you have kept to a schedule i.e. a trip to the cinema.
  • Another technique is to have a break after a certain set time of studying. So for instance after every one hour of revision you will have a break of 10 minutes, that you can use to go for a walk or make a phone call etc. This can give you something to look forward to.

This page will provide students information on the following approaches to academic work

  • Retaining information
  • Organising study periods
  • Organising information
  • Concentration techniques
  • Effective note taking
  • Time management
  • Reading and listening skills
  • Learning by rote

General tips
Make sure you get enough sleep.
Avoid information overload.

 

Relevant academic links:
Revision tips
University courses

Graduate resources
Essay writing
Graduate internships
Introduction to graduate fasttrack schemes
Student accommodation
Student loan company
UCAS personal statement
University interview questions

Student CV links
Graduate CV template
Student CV template
Student CV template example