FRESHERS ISSUE 2023 SCAN Lancaster University

24
L I F E S T Y L E
SCANLU SCANLancaster scan.lancastersu.co.uk
How To Not Fall Behind
with University Work
Adrian Collis
NEWS EDITOR
University’s finally here, and nicely
enough, the first week is more or
less just one massive party where
you try to get to know as many
people as possible before you
dive into classes.
As reluctant as I am to be the
bearer of bad news, classes are
coming, and when they do, there
will be deadlines, and there will
be many of them.
Nobody (and I mean nobody)
has a perfect track record when
it comes to university work,
and keeping on top of things in
balance with your life outside of
class is always going to take a bit of
hard work you won’t be used to yet.
With the right attitude
and planning, nothing’s
impossible, and you’ll be
top of your class in no
time!
So, take these top tips from someone’s who
hasn’t missed a deadline since college. I
promise I’m not a soulless drone devoid
of any social life, either. It’s possible, and it
won’t be as difficult as you think it will.
1. Make a work
schedule
It’s kind of like a revision timetable, and I
know you’re familiar with those. This one’s
easier to plan and doesn’t take up your
whole day.
Keeping a written plan of
when you’ll get everything
done is essential,
especially if you’re
prone to losing
track of days
and forgetting
important
deadlines.
Your brain is going to be
busy, and you’re not going
to be able to remember
everything.
Don’t just rely on Moodle to tell
you when everything is due; making
yourself a personalised calendar also lets
you balance the things you need to do with
the things you want to do.
That way, if you need to shuffle things
around, you can still keep track of what you
need to finish by which day. Do this for long
enough and it becomes second nature to
get things done efficiently, without doing it
all at the last minute.
Always try to plan so
you’re finishing your work
way before the deadline,
so if you do have to push
it back you don’t find
yourself strapped for time.
2. Actually make
time for your work
Once you get into the swing of things, you’re
probably going to find yourself being pretty
socially busy.
As much as
you never
want to get
FOMO by
missing
out on
new
friends
and
events,
trust a
third year
when I say
there will
always be more
nights out and house
parties to go to.
If you’re particularly overwhelmed with
something, don’t be afraid to say no. You
could even use the opportunity to say:
“Well, I can’t do then, but
how about we hang out at
this date, when I actually
am free?” (as shown on
your fancy schedule
you’ve made after
reading bullet point
#1).
Everyone loves to be invited
to things, and you’ve gotten
everything done that you needed
to. Take it a step further and plan
to do your work way before your
deadlines so if you really don’t
want to miss out, it’s not the end of
the world for your grades.
3. If you know you
study best alone,
STUDY ALONE
It’s a fun idea to go to
coffee shops or the library
and study peacefully
with friends. That is,
until you’re distracting
yourselves for hours,
getting caught up in
tangent conversations,
and now all of the library’s
B floor knows your business.
It’s a mistake I’ve
found myself making
all too often; there will
always be other times to
get silly with your friends.
Don’t be afraid to head out and tackle
your work alone if it’s what you need; your
deadlines will be thanking you.
4. Stick to your plans
This one seems obvious,
but life can get hectic.
To the best of your
ability, the stricter
you are with
yourself to follow
the plan you’ve
set out, the better
you’re going to feel
when it’s done when
it’s supposed to be.
Independence and selfmanagement
can be rough
to learn, but setting
yourself a plan and
sticking to it is one great
way to get ahead.
Photos Credits:
Caitlyn Taft
The more productive you
are, the less deadlines you
miss, the more time you
have for other things, the
better you feel.
If you ignore your responsibilities and
procrastinate them, they’ll just come back
to you at a time you’ll hate. Don’t do it. Be
hard on yourself.
5. Don’t be afraid to
ask for help
Being tough on yourself is all well and good
in theory, but sometimes life gets the better
of us and it’s not as simple as following your
daily schedule.
Sometimes life
events out of
your control
get in the
way, or
you’re just
unable to
get out of
bed and do
the tasks
you normally
could.
If it’s getting really bad and
it all feels out of your hands,
you’re not the first, and there’s nothing
wrong with that.
Reach out to your professors or a counsellor
on campus, and don’t be nervous to ask for
the support you need.
You’re not a robot, though
sometimes it seems
like uni asks that
of people. With
the right amount
of tenacity and
organisation,
deadlines will feel
like a breeze to hit.
You just need to be real with
yourself: nobody else is going to do
them, no matter how much you try
not to think about them.
You’re not alone! You’ll always have
something to worry about, but if you get
ahead at the right time, it’ll hopefully be
something a little smaller.