Q:Daisy help me. How do I study? I need good A-levels to get into Exeter uni next year. I've not really tried very hard in school up to now, but I guess you could call me smart. I want to do Biology BSC. But yes how do I study?

domthepandabear-deactivated2013

I WILL HAPPILY ANSWER THIS.  Just… I am writing this very tipsy, so excuse whatever typos I make or whatever.

  1. Study in the morning.  I don’t care if you think that you’re a night owl.  Go to bed before 11, get up at 7 (I get up at 6, but I recognise that that’s a bit early for many people).  The bulk of your work should be done between 8 am and 2 pm if you want to be really efficient and clear-minded.
  2. Learn about present bias.  Understanding why you procrastinate is an important part of stopping procrastinating.  It also helps you understand that procrastinating won’t make that dreaded task go away… it just makes it even shittier.
  3. White noise really helps with focus, regardless of whether you’re doing something really hard or mind-numbingly easy.  I use Sound Machine and Simply Rain.  
  4. Some people recommend extensions like StayFocusd to force yourself off distracting websites.  I highly recommend checking them out, although I don’t use them myself.
  5. Don’t study hungry or too full, too hot or too cold.  Be comfortable, but not cosy.  Also, until you know that you’ve got studying down pat, don’t study with your friends.
  6. Have a realistic list of what you intend to accomplish.  You’d be surprised how gratifying ticking off a box is!

In the end, though, you have to understand that there are no ‘quick tips’ that can effortlessly transform you into a model student… just like there isn’t a ‘secret health trick’ that allows you to eat as much cake as you want and stay thin.  Ultimately, you’ve got to take responsibility for your actions.  If you want to do well on your A-levels and get into the bio programme, then you have to be self-disciplined and work.  

That might not sound like a lot of fun, but think of it this way: even if you don’t want to do your assignment, remember that you’re working for yourself.  The work you put in today is to help you - it’s your ticket to your uni programme of choice.  And so… why wouldn’t you do your very best?  If you procrastinate or do a half-assed job, the only person you’re hurting is yourself.  

And, I mean, don’t do that.

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  1. htmlwings posted this