University life

Hey Everyone!

Monday will be the beginning of my 4th week of University (undergraduate). Because of the world pandemic all of my lectures and tutorial are online, so I have created a list of hacks to stay on top of my workload and still enjoy some time in the fresh air.

Hack #1

I know lectures are long (2/3 hours long). Having to sit still and listen and take notes for that long can be tiring. What I usually do is very 30 minutes, I get up and get a glass of water/make myself a coffee/tea.

I know this might sound stupid (e.g you may miss critical information, it’s just a waste of time) but to be honest, it actually helps. Studies have shown that it avoids sleepiness and promotes a better attention span.

The beauty of the lectures being online is that there is a high chance that all of them are being recorded, so that you can listen to them at a later date. So if you do happen to miss anything, you can always jot the time down (of when you got up) scroll the video forward, and listen to what you missed.

If you can, you should also go for a walk in between lecture, as fresh air has many beneficial properties. Not to mention that the sun actually provide over half of your daily vitamin D intake.

Hack #2

Always,always,always look at your notes after the lecture. Do not leave them on the table thinking “i’ll look at them later”. Chances are you won’t. When you’re looking at the material after the lecture, there is a higher chance of it sticking in. And if you don’t understand something, make sure you write what you don’t understand about it and ask your lecturer to explain it again.

If you really DO NOT have time to look at the that day, make sure to write it in your planner for the next day.

You should also have a quick read of your notes on the weekends as this too helps you memorise the information required.

Hack #3

When you take notes, make sure to use highlighters. Using highlighters (therefore using your visual cortex, which is the part at the back of your brain) allows you to make connections with previously learned things.

The more connections you make, the better you will remember the information.

This happens because the visual cortex receives and processes sensory nerve impulses from the eyes. (a.k.a the information/colours/pictures you see, are also “seen/sent” to the visual cortex).

Have you ever heard that the best way of studying is to write information down a total amount of times and then read it aloud/recite it? That’s because people tend to remember higher percentage of what they have just read, if they are using both their auditory cortex and visual cortex.

During memory recall, there is a “replaying“ of neutral activity that was generated in your brain during an event (whether it was you studying or you going out to the park and seeing a friend). It is all there. For some time at least. Which is why revision is important. If you do not go over what you have just learnt, the information will leave your short term memory and you won’t be able to retrieve it. This is because your Short Term memory store is limited (it is stored for about 20-30 seconds). Research has shown that we can only store between 5 and 9 events in our short term memory store!

I will post university tips a week, so make sure to check them out. I will try to post at least once a week, but I can’t promise anything.

Bye for now!