The transition from high school to university can be a daunting one in many respects. I was fortunate enough to have fostered positive study habits from high school that translated well when I transitioned to university. Studying a double degree in Law/Commerce (Marketing Major) can be demanding to say the least, but here’s some of the tips I’ve picked up along the way that I have either learnt or been told myself after 3 years of studying.

Tip 1: Unit Planner

Within every unit guide, there is a unit planner which is a grid that outlines each topic being taught each week and the relevant assessments. I have stuck these on my wall as it allows me to plan for the future and see when my assessments fall (hopefully not all together haha).

Tip 2: Making Notes

Note-taking can vary between subjects. Generally, marketing is a very theoretical subject. I would recommend you spend 10 minutes creating a Pages or Microsoft Word document with heading and sub-headings (different colours and sizes). Then create your own custom bullet points (such as ticks, cross, different colour dots etc.). This allows for clear note-taking and can subtly brighten up what would otherwise be dull notes. This document with all these headings and custom bullet points can then saved as a template (for pages this is done through File → Save As Template).

Tip 3: Recognise, and be proud of your own efforts 

I find I would rather study at my own desk at home than at university. This is because I tend to get distracted easily and feel put off by looking around in the library and seeing how much work some people are doing. Studying law has taught me that you will never be satisfied if you constantly compare yourself to others. There will always be someone performing better than you, but it’s important not to get bogged down by that. Remember, you should own your independent learning journey and focus on your personal development.  

Tip 4: Beware of distractions 

The worst temptation for me while studying at home is my phone. In my second year of Uni I discovered an app called Forest. It’s quite a simple premise: you set the timer for a tree you want to grow (between 5 minutes and 2 hours). If you’re out of the app for more than 5-10 seconds you will get a notification from the app to save your tree. This acts as almost a slap on the wrist for being on your phone and your instinct (generally) is to save your tree! You can also accumulate coins and buy different trees and can even grow a tree with someone so you both can be productive.

Tip 5: Backup!!

You hear nightmarish stories from some people who lose their laptop or it one day decides to die. So it is worth buying one awesome USB, putting it in one spot in your room where it never moves (so you don’t lose the USB), and backing up your notes every few weeks.

Tip 6: Learning styles of specific subjects

If a subject is very textbook orientated, the best thing you can do is a read ahead and make notes on the chapters before you have the class. This allows you to breeze through content once it actually starts. Again, if a subject is textbook orientated, attempt to purchase a digital copy of the textbook. This allows for the easy copy, pasting and re-formatting of notes.

Hopefully, some of these tips have enlightened you to an idea you previously had not thought of and your studying towards exams can be successful!

Good luck for Semester 2. All the best, Leon 🙂

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