Maintaining your focus – it can be tough when you have new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy calling your name or ‘urgent’ text messages on your phone. I have it on good authority that the deafening silence of a quiet household once the kids have gone back to school is also a high-quality distraction.
As we head into the magical part of the term that we call ‘mid-term break’, it may come as a surprise to you that between weeks 5 and 6 there are no lectures or tutorials.
I’m here today to give you a few do’s and don’ts to help turn your mid-term break into a breakthrough, rather than a breakdown.
Do – Use the time wisely.
If you’re not up-to-date with lectures, study notes or even the start of your next assignment, mid-term break is the perfect time to get started.
Get yourself organised by putting all of your upcoming assignments, quizzes and exams on ONE sheet of paper, and then prioritise in order of difficulty. Even just the simple act of putting everything in one place can help you to see what’s important and what you need to spend some extra time on this week.
See last fortnight’s #How2Uni blog for some great tips on how to conquer the beast that is assignment writing.
And while you’re getting stuck into study, don’t forget to use the UCROO Study Timer. You’ll need to sign up for a UCROO account first, but once you do, it can help you to keep track of how long you’re spending on each subject (and making sure you give each one the appropriate amount of love/care/attention!).
Do – Get it together. Really.
This isn’t tough love – ‘get it together’ is a phrase that you will come to love at CQUniversity. Each term, the wonderful staff at the Library put on what we call ‘Get it Together’ nights, where students can come and get help with research, referencing and more.
There’s sometimes even free pizza involved. Need I say more?
Follow the Library on UCROO or check your student email to find out more about the ‘Get it Together’ nights, which will be coming to a campus near you soon.
Don’t – be afraid to ask for help.
You are not the first person to struggle with assignment writing, a particular subject or even the continuous juggle that is study and life. Trust me on that one!
Trying to work things out for yourself can be exhausting, and usually you just end up going around in circles with a particular problem or tricky question.
A simple email to your lecturer/tutor, or a post in your class group or study group on UCROO could solve your problem. Ask for help – you won’t regret it. Chances are that someone else will want to know the answer as well…so you’re helping yourself AND your fellow classmates.
Don’t – be tempted to spend the week binge-watching TV.
Trust me, it will be SO much harder to start again once you stop!
#youcandothis
For more great tips and tricks, sign up for our official student social network, UCROO and follow us in the #How2Uni group.
This blog was written by SJ ‘I’ve totally got this’ Pierce, a past student of CQUniversity and current Student Communications team member.
