Over the last couple of weeks talking to Georgia (my youngest daughter), a 4th year student at Sheffield Hallam University it has become really obvious that she and her friends are struggling with managing their work load, time and having a great final year at Uni.
Georgia and most of her friends, have spent the last year out on placement in industry, where they have not had to meet assignment and dissertation deadlines. Yes being out there in the “real world” had its challenges but mainly this was about being in a work environment. Being back at uni and talking to them, has made me realise that they just need a little bit of guidance to help with their anxieties and workload.
Preparing for exams and assignment deadlines can suddenly make everything else except studying seem really interesting. I remember when I was doing my Masters dissertation that my house was never as clean , the ironing (something I hate) was always done! You need someone close to you to keep you on the straight and narrow and be quite stern….
Here are my top tips for dealing with deadlines.
- Preparing for exams and assignment deadlines – My top tip would be to create a study plan (or timeline) and try to stick to it. This sounds scary but its actually just looking at what you have to do, how you are going to do it, when are the hand in dates and who are you doing this with (if anyone).
- Set yourself some personal goals – Reaching them will give you personal satisfaction, as well as helping you feel more prepared. Maybe choose the easiest assignment first or start on your project and be way ahead before you need to.
- Double Check all information in your assignment handbooks – don’t be caught out by thinking you have the correct date for the assignment and then realising it should be in the next day.
- Break the task down into small parts – Finish assignment/project by January is not an action. Break it down into small parts – ‘ I will do my literature search by….”
- A few days before the deadline – Give yourself a cushion and check your work thoroughly, any mistakes can be sorted.
- Ask for help – You wont get any extra marks for being a hero and struggling! Check in with your friends, lecturers or if they feel too stressed find someone who can check over your work, give you some pointers. I cant tell you how many times over the past 8 weeks Ive read an assignment, looked at literature and helped with CV writing! I feel Im doing a Food and Nutrition degree but honestly we don’t mind! Thats what mums are for.
- Get started – I often found the hardest part of any assignment was getting the first words down. But honestly once you get stuff down it really does start to flow. And another tip write the introduction last once you have written the main easy its easy to write the intro.
Deadlines are there for a purpose they aren’t bad ( although I get it they are a pain). They are there to help you organise your time, set priorities and get you going when you might not feel like it. And meeting those deadlines successfully is one of the best motivating factors out there!
Good luck with your assignments