It’s time for second semester and a lot of us have assignments to do, maybe more than one which can leave us feeling stressed and wondering where to start and that’s why I’m here to help. Here are a couple tips to help you with your assignments and any stress that you may go through.
-Don’t leave your assignments to the last minute: trying to find a lot of information in a short space of time can cause further stress and possibly leave you with a grade that you won’t be happy with. Furthermore, when handing in assignments on turn it in don’t submit only a couple minutes before the deadline as that is when most students will be submitting which can cause the site to crash and you’ll be left with an unsumbitted assignment so if you’re going to submit that same day make sure it is hours before the deadline.
-Choose the right place to study as this is one of the most important things to consider when preparing to write your assignments. Choose a place where you can study without being distracted such as your room, a library or the university computer room.
-Find the right time of day to write your assignment. Are you more focused in the afternoon? Does motivation usually kick in after a certain time? Are you able to work for a long period of time or can you only work in short bursts? Take these into consideration to prevent over working yourself and becoming stressed out.
-When you read the exam question, make sure you completely understand what is being asked of you and if you’re not sure of the meaning remember that the Internet is your best friend and you can always find out what they mean.
-PLAN! – Planning is very key for your assignments. It can help you to organise and prioritise your information as you have a lot of information to fit into a small word count so you can only write what is necessary to the subject.
– Planning by paragraph can also help; start with the theme. State what the theme is and write down why it is important. What evidence do you have to prove your points?
-Use SQ3R:
S- Survey
Q- Question
3R- Read, Recall, Review
– Find your list of sources: Where will you find your sources for your assignment? Do you need to research journals/newspapers, read books or do some internet research? Some assignments may require you to look at specific sources whereas others are very flexible with the sources you are allowed to use and access.
-Referencing: Referencing is the one thing that many students find the most difficult to do. One thing I find very handy is going into the Staffordshire library page and going on refzone where you will find many examples of Harvard referencing or the referencing system you are using for your specific course.
I hope these tips have helped in some way, good luck!
