Today was the last day of classes for Spring 2013. A whole wave of relief just came over me as I finished a final project presentation for class an hour ago. Over the past 7 days, I have had to turn in two 10-page papers and present two presentations, so I am actually eager to change gears and do some studying instead!
From completing all these assignments, I can suggest a few writing/researching tips:
1. START EARLY!!
I began working on an 8-page paper that was due on Tuesday at midnight on Monday. Not the best idea. I managed to finish the paper, but with, quite literally, only a minute to spare before the deadline. Additionally, the paper was my worst piece of work – I didn’t manage to proofread it and I am certain I cited sources that I didn’t end up using at all. Staying on track and organized is hard, but it helps to start becoming gradually stricter with yourself and setting up a schedule with designated times for work and for play.
2. Have the right tools/setting
Make sure you have the right tools and are in the right setting for doing work. I’m lucky that my apartment is a relatively quiet and distraction-free zone for me to complete my work, but other people find that quiet cubicles in the library are just as effective studying posts. I also recently discovered the wonders of using a book stand (see above). For just over $10, this book stand saved me a lot of frustration of having to hold books open while I took down notes about their content for my research papers. I love it.
3. Take a break occasionally and stay healthy
Also hard things to implement in real life. By taking a break, I mean walking around the room, stretching, or even going squirrel-watching. It’s also important to at least try to stay healthy by going to sleep at normal times and eating healthy instead of unhealthy snacks when stressed out.
Although this is nowhere near a comprehensive list of tips, these are the main things you should keep in mind when faced with a bunch of college assignments. Finals, here I come!