Three Common Student Issues: Student Organisation, Assignment Planning & Deadlines
If you got this far, at least one of the below are likely to be a 'student issue' for you:
You're not the most organised student...
You haven't even looked at your materials or readings!
You're not in the loop on your academic calendar and deadlines?!
These issues may appear to be fairly straightforward, but you may be surprised to hear that these are three common things that come up with my students very early on.
The truth is, it's quite difficult to be the organised person, it takes consistency and discipline, it can feel like a personality change is in order, just to keep it up. And let's face it, they do prescribe an overwhelming amount of resources at times, so it can be hard to 'see the woods from the trees'. Furthermore, it is an absolutely legitimised known fact that essay deadlines feel so incredibly far away until about one or two weeks prior, when panic inevitably sets in for most folks and they realise they left it way too late.
These issues are complex, you can write your goals down and fill your calendar full of study blocks- but realistically, you must do something and take action in order to be able to actually achieve these things. And taking action on these things is difficult- how do I just become someone that 'has it all together'? My self-proven theory for solving this issue is that we simply start acting like we 'have it all together', and if, and only if, we keep this up, then we will start to become the person that has it all together.
As you have prescribed materials on your reading list (you should actually read those by the way), I'm going to keep this short and propose three ways to begin tackling these issues and to encourage you to start living up to your academic potential:
Organisation, or rather, Disorganisation:
From now on, use a study diary- In paper, or digitally, record all necessary details of your modules, assignments, deadlines, study sessions and any college information there. If the diary starts to feel as valuable as the Holy Bible to a priest, then you're getting there. This will automatically turn you into a more organised person, easing anxieties and putting you more in control of your college experience.
Use your study diary as an 'accountability buddy', to organise yourself, and also as a measure of progress. You can tick off tasks completed (dopamine reward) as well as write yourself reminders of key deadlines and issues to resolve. And if all else fails, it'll be a record of you ****ing yourself over, again and again... If that is the case, you're not alone in that, and it's a common complaint amongst students.
If you feel like you're stuck in this cycle, procrastinating deadlines until they're out of your grasp- then engaging in private academic support and/or counselling services can help you to break these cycles...
The first step to breaking this cycle is deciding to do things differently from now on.
2. Prescribed Reading Avoidance:
3. Deadline Delusions:
If you start applying this advice, you may find that you begin reaching your deadlines with more ease, which is a welcome result for any student. Despite the simplicity of this advice, it is incredibly valuable to you as a current student and future graduate of your course.
Wishing you the very best with your studies...
Ruby-Mai
Professional Writer. Published Poet. Dedicated Tutor. Degree-holder.
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