Hi everyone! It’s Gwen and Liyana here 🌻 We hope you’re all doing well. With ECAs and exams drawing near, we have some useful study tips and tricks to share and help you get through the rest of this semester and beyond ~
Summary:
Don’t Cram, Prep Early
Plan Ahead — and Stick to it!
Take Regular Breaks
Study Group
Romanticise Studying with a Productive Space
Study Tip #1: Don’t Cram, Prep Early
This is probably the most common tip but it is also the best piece of advice to give 😅 It might be tempting to leave all the studying till the day before the Big Exam but the stress leading up to that is so not worth it gorl. Starting early means being able to plan your time to complete the assignment before the deadline and ensures for quality work. Cramming also does not improve longer-term learning so if you’re looking to create a meaningful learning experience for yourself that’s less stressful, preparing and starting early is where it’s at 😋
Study Tip #2: Plan Ahead — and Stick to it!
Having a study plan with set goals can help you feel more prepared and can give you a roadmap to follow. You can do this by first taking a calendar out and writing IMPORTANT dates you do not want to miss out. Use different coloured tabs to categorize them such as Personal, School, Work, Friends and Family. Doing this will give you a clearer overview of your plans and ultimately allow you to be more organized. Procrastination truly is the thief of time 😕
Here are some useful planning tools to get you started!
Notion: https://www.notion.so/
Tweek Calendar: https://tweek.so/
MinimaList: https://apps.apple.com/sg/app/minimalist-to-do-list-task/id993066159
Study Tip #3: Take Regular Breaks
The brain can only absorb so much information at a time. That wakeful rest plays just as important a role as practice in learning a new skill. Not only that, it helps to boost retention which allows our brains to compress and consolidate memories of what we had just practiced.
With that, don’t feel guilty for taking breaks! You are not missing out on the time and it is OKAY to take one when you feel the need to do so. 💖 Take some time to breathe and do the things you love and enjoy (eg: hobbies, exercising, getting out of the house). Sometimes, the best ideas come from taking a short break from your work! 🧐
App recommendation for staying focused and Pomodoro timer 🤗
Emphasis: https://emphasis.app/
Study Tip #4: Study Group
Your fellow course mates are most likely going through the same struggles that you are. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your peers for help and assistance on study materials or clarification of your doubts! With a study group, you’ll be able to go over material together, brainstorm, and to support each other through challenges, which builds a network you can rely on throughout the rest of the class—and beyond. 🥰
We also found Zoom/ discord study groups to be very useful. It is pretty much just a group livestream as we all work individually. Super fun and really motivating.
Study Tip #5: Romanticize Studying with a Productive Space
Even the most dedicated academics fall in and out of motivation… and where you study can play a huge factor in influencing your mood. It is no secret that the process of studying can be very daunting — whether it be reading numerous chapters, making notes or creating questions. Studying, no matter its shape or form, is boring for many people.
Here’s how you can fix that:
Cultivate a comfortable space that is free of distractions and has all the supplies you need on hand.
Print pictures and inspiring quotes that can serve as motivation for studying and decorate your space however you see fit.
Lighting. Dim lights for a cozy vibe; bright white lights if you prefer to stay upright and alert.
Set the mood.
Create a study playlist. Instrumentals > sounds with lyrics. Experiment with classical music (the channel "oliviaalee" on YouTube has great options!) or listen to environmental sounds that you find calming (rain, wind, and other white noises)
Scented candles to help stay focused! (Rosemary and Peppermint are known to have great effects on the brain whilst working ☺️)
Finally, mindset. It can be hard to find the willpower to get things done, but here are some tips that may help:
Vision boards to help you visualize the lifestyle and version of yourself you want to achieve
Rewarding yourself afterwards
Reflective daily journaling (Daylio Journal: https://daylio.net/)
OTHER USEFUL TIPS
Highlight key words (eg. Analyse/Describe/Identify) in yellow and other important bits in green/or other colours for your question paper in assignments/ exam. This will help keep you on track to answering the question properly by helping to define the parameters of your answers). By highlighting the other important bits, it also helps you remember what exactly you need to answer or write (Eg. Analyse the role of teachers in ….)
Here’s a document that contains a non-exhaustive list of definitions of some key words from a writing coach in SUSS. Might be helpful for if you are unsure of the parameters you should be writing about!