Motivation

Maintaining motivation is important, and online study can present particular challenges. It may be easier to log off than it is to walk out of a classroom! You are encouraged to engage with this course as fully as your circumstances allow. If you are confident with the material recommended for you subject covered in this course before you start your degree, it is likely to assist in your transition to university life, when you will be studying many new subjects in a very short space of time.

Time management

Physical Sciences students undertaking a bridging session on study skills

It will be necessary to give some practical consideration to when and how you are going to study.

Here are some tips for effective studying that might help.

• Short, more frequent learning sessions are better than one long one (three one-hour sessions are better than one three-hour session).
• Take regular breaks.
• Allow some flexibility to account for good and bad days.
• Make notes of your progress.
• Plan ahead for what you need to do next week.

However, study preferences are very personal; you will get the most from study if you identify what works for you. Take some time to think about when and how you want to study, considering the factors below.

• Do you have a quiet, comfortable place to study?
• Do you like to study in short bursts or for longer periods?
• Can you work out times during the week to set aside for study? It's worth thinking through whether you are best able to do this in the early morning or evening if you are working all day.
• Do the people around you know you are studying and will they give you the space and time you need?
• Will you be able to get any support from your family to study?