So this is it. After investing fifteen years and several thousand pounds you have finally reached what may well be the pinnacle of your educational life. What you do over the next nine months is likely to have a lasting impact upon the rest of your life – no pressure, of course.
Fear not! With a bit of focus and determination getting that prized 1st or 2:1 will be as easy as getting plastered in the pub on Fresher’s week. Just follow this easy 5 step guide.
FOCUS
Whether you’re languishing at the bottom of the grades table or flying high above the 70% mark it is essential that you start the year with the right frame of mind. Nothing is impossible and your will achieve as much or little as you allow yourself. Make the achievement of that dream grade your primary goal in life and remind yourself of that goal at that start and end of each day. Visualise yourself stepping on stage in 12 months time, shaking the hand of your University Dean, accepting a scroll with the degree classification you want emblazoned inside while your family proudly look on. Feels good right? Believe it will happen and it will – with just a little hard work.
ROUTINE
Many students, myself included, fall adrift amidst the excess of University life. If you fall under this category don’t worry – it is all part of the experience. But if you want to walk out of that campus with something more valuable than a hangover, cheeky tattoo or an STD it is essential that you get back on the study track fast. That means ditching the tri weekly trips to the student bar in favour of spending at least 6-10 hours a day submersed in your books. Sound like a lot? It isn’t! Whether your end up wiping windows or selling shares for a living you are going to be working for at least 8 hours a day for the rest of your life. Get used to it.
Besides, you chose this degree and you presumably enjoy the subject. Cherish the time you will get to spend with it in the library – and that doesn’t mean strategically positioning yourself in front of friends or that hot guy/girl you have secretly fancied since the first year. Some people prefer to work at night when it’s quiet. If you do this make sure you give your body enough time to adjust back to British Standard Time before your exams. Drinking 3 cans of red bull to help you stay awake before a final exam isn’t a good idea – trust me, I’ve done it.
DETERMINATION
As the days get dim and the nights turn cold you may find yourself ready to vomit the next Shakespearean sonnet or economics equation you try to swallow. Whilst it is essential to maintain your 6-10 hour routine throughout the year there is nothing wrong with taking breaks. Alternate your subjects between study sessions or days to give yourself as much variety as possible. Spend time discussing your subject with your classmates and lecturers – it will ensure that you are not on the wrong line of understanding and is often the best way to consolidate what you have read, just so long as the discussion doesn’t degenerate to last night’s Eastenders.
Try to keep a balanced nutritional diet and exercise hard for at least one hour a day to unleash some of that pent up library stress. Treat yourself to the odd night out too – just make sure it doesn’t disrupt your study pattern. If all that fails to keep you motivated just remind yourself of your goal and that vision of walking on stage.
THE D WORD
Doing a dissertation is one of the riskiest decisions in your student life. It is also one of the best. If done properly, it can define your degree as it allows you to produce an original piece of work next to which none of your examiners can compare. You set your own bar, so to speak. Of course, through much of it you are on your own with nobody to hold your hand. If you don’t take it seriously a poor dissertation can also break your degree. To avoid this predicament you must follow one mantra: “planning, planning, planning.” A wise man once said to me: “If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail,” and this is defiantly true for a dissertation so start working early. Though the method may vary from subject to subject the objective of all dissertations is essentially the same: to find a new angle on an established subject of study through thorough research. Before you set off you must collate and read all available theory and evidence on your broad area of interest.
After deciding a manageable research question you then have to set out to find your materials and make your conclusions. Do not restrict yourself to the usual student clichés of doing all your research from library books, journals and the internet. You examiner would have seen it 1000 times before and won’t be impressed. Think outside the box. Leave the comfort of your campus to get your findings. Interview people, acquire primary documents, conduct experiments, distribute surveys, travel around the country, hop on one leg – do whatever it takes to differentiate your research from the thousands of other drab half arsed attempts your examiner will be forced to read. Of course, to do this you will need to be passionate about your work so choose your subject wisely.
EXAMS
Provided you have stayed true to the advice above, the weeks preceding your exams should be a stress free stroll through your revision notes and recordings. Be confident and stay healthy. It is even more important that you get your eating and sleeping patterns in tune during this time. Don’t over work– if you have been putting in the hours since September you won’t need to. You may also find it helpful to use some of this time to learn from your friends by testing each other. It will help clear up any last minute misunderstandings and give you the confidence boost before entering that theatre of fate called the exam hall.
Good luck. Now get on with it.
By Rickin Majithia
