Studying Tips for a Mature Student

ste_coxy

Hi guys,

I am after a bit of advice please.

I am a 24 year old male who has started an ILEX (legal executive) course back in September. I am enjoying it and find it very interesting. The only downside is that I am finding it hard to juggle travelling by train (50 mins each way) back and forth from full time work with fitting in the necessary study needed for the course.

Another thing I am struggling with is the actual study itself - I have not done any proper study since I left school and so, I am very rusty and have lost touch with the techniques I used to use in school.

I am hoping any people in a similar position could give me some advice on how best to fit in study with my busy schedule as well as some actual advice on how to study itself - techniques, tips etc would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

Oldernotwiser

Sorry to state the obvious but doesn't your train journey allow you 1 hour 40 mins a day to study?

How many hours/evenings do you allocate to study and do you have any domestic responsibilities?

MrsManda

Do you manage to study on the train?
If the train home is too busy, could you stay behind at work, study there then get a quieter train home? My OH is currently doing this and finding it very helpful.
I was a mature student and found studying on the train a good use of time.

In terms of actual study I'm afraid it can be a bit of a trial and error process until you find what suits you.
I started by getting hold of the syllabus, reading a section at a time then writing notes. It helped me to make a plan based around the syllabus and deadlines where I could say 'this week I will do X' as it broke the course into manageable bits and gave me a sense of achievement when I could tick something off the list.
Whether this would work for you depends on your personal study style and the content of your course.

Is the course distance learning? Do you have a tutor group/online forums where you can chat to other students? If this facility is available to you I strongly advise that you make use of it to get information on how others are studying and gain ideas of what could work for you.

anatomical

I couldn't drive when I started my degree so used to get the train in. I used to do a lot more studying then than I do now! I found it better because there are no distractions like computers etc. Much better to use time you're not going to be doing anything useful with, so when you get home you can have a bit of a relax.

We get told repeatedly everyone has their own learning style. I find reading things, picking out keywords and creating my own little revision notes helps me, actually writing things down helps. Even if you find you can't do any actual work on the train you could still use that time to revise, read relevant articles, read your course books. All of this will help you when you do have the time to do the work.

stephyt23

A good book to get hold of is The Study Skills Handbook by Palgrave. It's useful for just dipping into as and when you need it and outlines study tips and tips for writing assignments etc.

It was recommended to me when I started an Access course by my tutor and is now very useful at uni.

JennMcNeal23

I have always had trouble studying. I would suggest trying to study on the train. If you do a lot of reading and have to do a lot of memorization, I like to take notes on what I read. I also highlight the books. After, I skim what I highlighted and try to recall what I wrote. Then, test myself with my notes. When studying for an exam, I go back over the notes. I usually retain a lot of the information so, I don't have to read all those pages over again. Good luck, OP!

orangesmartie

I worked full time while studying for my law degree, so I know how tough it can be. I had a number of strategies:

I found that if I physically took notes I was more likely to retain the information. Essentially this was just rote copying to begin with but then I got hold of a dictaphone and started dictating my notes after I made them. This meant things I needed to memorise verbatim (like case names/facts) were stuck in my head as I listened to them on an mp3 player on the train, in the bath, lunch times and going to sleep. Its amazing what your brain takes in, even when you're not paying full attention.

I would also start condensing my notes down. My first draft of notes would be pages and pages of A4. The next set would be a few pages, the next draft 2 sides of bullet points and then finally down to A6 notecards. These notecards were then put in my pockets and every chance i got I had a quick read. I was a bit anal so I colour coded pens and highlighter marks for different subjects, case names and facts. Again, i found it amazing what i recalled in the exam hall - if i thought about the topic and the associated colours, i could usually bring to mind the info i needed.

Another tip I used in my first year was to write the bullet points for topics down and pin the lists up on various walls around the house - bathroom etc. Again, the subconscious mind takes in the info. I only didn't do it in subsequent years because I used other strategies (as mentioned above).

If possible, join a study group with your class mates. This can be done via skype. Set your agenda in advance, so you've all done the reading and can share information and talk through some questions (i'm guessing you have questions in your study book to help you?) Talking things through can really help cement things in your mind if you're not sure but also by teaching others you will remember it.

Break your study up into topics or sections. Depending how your course is organised, if you are doing tort for example, deal with negligence as one topic and break it down as necessary then move on to the next one.

Find the local colleges and universitys and libraries in your area and make use of them. Uni libraries are particularly great, because they have silent study areas. You don't have to be a student to use it and most are open 24/7. I found it brilliant to study away from home where I was easily distracted. I worked close to home but often went to my head office twice a week in a uni town, so I would plan on doing a day's work and then going straight to the library in the evening. It made a very long day, but I ensured I had something to eat and found it a productive couple of hours. I also went there on Saturdays and Sundays. Again, no TV, mobiles, computers to distract me. I also used my local library for study space on days when it wasn't practicable to travel the 30 miles (time constraints etc).

As I'm also a night owl I found studying at night was better for me. Therefore I would try and finish early on a Friday afternoon (the natue of my job meant I could start earlier), go home for a quick nap and then head to the uni library and would generally study from 8pm-2am, come home and sleep, then get up and go to the local library, home for a nap and then to uni library. Sunday was my day off but it worked for me because of my working/sleeping pattern. My friend on the same course preferred to get up 90 minutes earlier on weekdays and do her reading then (she was getting up at 4am, which i thought mad).

Making the time to study is something you have to consciously do until it becomes a habit. Its too easy to say studying should fit around your life, or you need to relax after work etc - which undoubtedly everyone needs - but making a change for one or two nights a week isn't a huge sacrifice. I didn't really appreciate that or make those changes until my final year, but I can really see the difference in my exam grades. Also, view the weekends as big blocks of time to divide up between relaxing (or whatever) and studying.

Another thing I found hugely helpful in my final year was my study group (3 of us) worked out a rough estimate of exam dates, then worked out how many topics we had in each subject (we were doing 3 each) and fitted in the topics to the weeks, leaving out time for christmas and easter and also we gave ourselves 2 clear months for revision. Luckily we had a bit of play in the timetable, so if a topic was huge, we could deal with it over two weeks. But I found this helped focus my mind on my workload week to week, instead of staring at the mountain of reading in horror and going back to bed. I guess what I'm saying is break it down to chunks that are managable to you.

Its also really important to have the support of those you live with, so they will leave you alone while studying and not distract you or try to persuade you to go out etc.

Also, the usual things like ensuring you have a quiet, tidy place to work (if you choose to study at home) with minimal distraction and where all your study material can be gathered neatly.

Finally (sorry, this has turned out to be rather long) I don't know where you work, but enquire as to whether your employers allow flexible working. For example after christmas I would start working 4 long days, spreading my week hours in 4 days, to give me an extra day off in the week to study. My employers were brilliant about being flexible for me and in return I made sure my day off was flexible to the needs of our services (so not necessarily the same day every week) and if we had an emergency, they knew they could count on me to come in if I was needed. I did have to promise that my day would be spent studying though! I kept to the same routine as a work day, got up same time, went to the uni, came home normal work leaving time etc, so it didn't feel like a day off and I wouldn't be tempted to slack.

I'm sorry this has been so long and I hope I haven't come over as 'preachy', studying and working is a hard slog and trying to make it fit is a struggle, but you'll know what works for you and what doesn't.

Best of luck!

ste_coxy

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Sorry to state the obvious but doesn't your train journey allow you 1 hour 40 mins a day to study?

How many hours/evenings do you allocate to study and do you have any domestic responsibilities?

It is obvious, yes; however, in practice it is not always easy to do - especially when you don't get a seat in the mornings.

I think the thing I am currently lacking is motivation - i have long days and when I get home it is hard to make the effort to sit down and dig out the study books.

Currently I am trying to fit in a hour on a Thursday night and a hour on a Sunday too. I realise this is not sufficient but because I am fairly busy in the week it is hard to commit to more.

ste_coxy

MrsManda wrote: »

Do you manage to study on the train?
If the train home is too busy, could you stay behind at work, study there then get a quieter train home? My OH is currently doing this and finding it very helpful.
I was a mature student and found studying on the train a good use of time.

In terms of actual study I'm afraid it can be a bit of a trial and error process until you find what suits you.
I started by getting hold of the syllabus, reading a section at a time then writing notes. It helped me to make a plan based around the syllabus and deadlines where I could say 'this week I will do X' as it broke the course into manageable bits and gave me a sense of achievement when I could tick something off the list.
Whether this would work for you depends on your personal study style and the content of your course.

Is the course distance learning? Do you have a tutor group/online forums where you can chat to other students? If this facility is available to you I strongly advise that you make use of it to get information on how others are studying and gain ideas of what could work for you.

I hadn't even thought of staying behind after work - thank you! It would be ideal actually because the evenings are fairly quiet in the office and I get full access to internet, which would be useful.

That is a good idea regarding ticking off sections on the syllabus - that way, I can't miss anything.

The course is attending 2 lessons a week on a Monday/Tuesday at college - a 40 minute bus journey from where I work and then I've also got to factor in travelling home on these nights, so Mondays and Tuesdays I rule out studying because of all the travel involved.

ste_coxy

stephyt23 wrote: »

A good book to get hold of is The Study Skills Handbook by Palgrave. It's useful for just dipping into as and when you need it and outlines study tips and tips for writing assignments etc.

It was recommended to me when I started an Access course by my tutor and is now very useful at uni.

thank you - i will look this up on amazon.

ste_coxy

orangesmartie wrote: »

I worked full time while studying for my law degree, so I know how tough it can be. I had a number of strategies:

I found that if I physically took notes I was more likely to retain the information. Essentially this was just rote copying to begin with but then I got hold of a dictaphone and started dictating my notes after I made them. This meant things I needed to memorise verbatim (like case names/facts) were stuck in my head as I listened to them on an mp3 player on the train, in the bath, lunch times and going to sleep. Its amazing what your brain takes in, even when you're not paying full attention.

I would also start condensing my notes down. My first draft of notes would be pages and pages of A4. The next set would be a few pages, the next draft 2 sides of bullet points and then finally down to A6 notecards. These notecards were then put in my pockets and every chance i got I had a quick read. I was a bit anal so I colour coded pens and highlighter marks for different subjects, case names and facts. Again, i found it amazing what i recalled in the exam hall - if i thought about the topic and the associated colours, i could usually bring to mind the info i needed.

Another tip I used in my first year was to write the bullet points for topics down and pin the lists up on various walls around the house - bathroom etc. Again, the subconscious mind takes in the info. I only didn't do it in subsequent years because I used other strategies (as mentioned above).

If possible, join a study group with your class mates. This can be done via skype. Set your agenda in advance, so you've all done the reading and can share information and talk through some questions (i'm guessing you have questions in your study book to help you?) Talking things through can really help cement things in your mind if you're not sure but also by teaching others you will remember it.

Break your study up into topics or sections. Depending how your course is organised, if you are doing tort for example, deal with negligence as one topic and break it down as necessary then move on to the next one.

Find the local colleges and universitys and libraries in your area and make use of them. Uni libraries are particularly great, because they have silent study areas. You don't have to be a student to use it and most are open 24/7. I found it brilliant to study away from home where I was easily distracted. I worked close to home but often went to my head office twice a week in a uni town, so I would plan on doing a day's work and then going straight to the library in the evening. It made a very long day, but I ensured I had something to eat and found it a productive couple of hours. I also went there on Saturdays and Sundays. Again, no TV, mobiles, computers to distract me. I also used my local library for study space on days when it wasn't practicable to travel the 30 miles (time constraints etc).

As I'm also a night owl I found studying at night was better for me. Therefore I would try and finish early on a Friday afternoon (the natue of my job meant I could start earlier), go home for a quick nap and then head to the uni library and would generally study from 8pm-2am, come home and sleep, then get up and go to the local library, home for a nap and then to uni library. Sunday was my day off but it worked for me because of my working/sleeping pattern. My friend on the same course preferred to get up 90 minutes earlier on weekdays and do her reading then (she was getting up at 4am, which i thought mad).

Making the time to study is something you have to consciously do until it becomes a habit. Its too easy to say studying should fit around your life, or you need to relax after work etc - which undoubtedly everyone needs - but making a change for one or two nights a week isn't a huge sacrifice. I didn't really appreciate that or make those changes until my final year, but I can really see the difference in my exam grades. Also, view the weekends as big blocks of time to divide up between relaxing (or whatever) and studying.

Another thing I found hugely helpful in my final year was my study group (3 of us) worked out a rough estimate of exam dates, then worked out how many topics we had in each subject (we were doing 3 each) and fitted in the topics to the weeks, leaving out time for christmas and easter and also we gave ourselves 2 clear months for revision. Luckily we had a bit of play in the timetable, so if a topic was huge, we could deal with it over two weeks. But I found this helped focus my mind on my workload week to week, instead of staring at the mountain of reading in horror and going back to bed. I guess what I'm saying is break it down to chunks that are managable to you.

Its also really important to have the support of those you live with, so they will leave you alone while studying and not distract you or try to persuade you to go out etc.

Also, the usual things like ensuring you have a quiet, tidy place to work (if you choose to study at home) with minimal distraction and where all your study material can be gathered neatly.

Finally (sorry, this has turned out to be rather long) I don't know where you work, but enquire as to whether your employers allow flexible working. For example after christmas I would start working 4 long days, spreading my week hours in 4 days, to give me an extra day off in the week to study. My employers were brilliant about being flexible for me and in return I made sure my day off was flexible to the needs of our services (so not necessarily the same day every week) and if we had an emergency, they knew they could count on me to come in if I was needed. I did have to promise that my day would be spent studying though! I kept to the same routine as a work day, got up same time, went to the uni, came home normal work leaving time etc, so it didn't feel like a day off and I wouldn't be tempted to slack.

I'm sorry this has been so long and I hope I haven't come over as 'preachy', studying and working is a hard slog and trying to make it fit is a struggle, but you'll know what works for you and what doesn't.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out, much appreciated.

I have noticed some people using colour coding as a method in their handbooks and I will start using this as I think it would definitely help me retain cases. I do find bullet points a helping hand too.

I think part of my problem at the moment is I do not have a quiet place to study - at home I do not have a desk in my room and the dining room is quite chaotic so I think I will definitely try and make use of either work or the libraries you have mentioned as I definitely struggle with distraction.

I think my problem at the moment is just being out of the loop with studying - I have not done it in sooo long and so, to make the effort and to change my habits is quite hard but I will definitely take your advice about actually changing my routine and sacrificing 1 or 2 nights.

My employer has helped me out before when I needed flexible working and they've actually just changed my shifts to make sure I finish in time for college on Mondays/Tuesdays.

Thanks again for all your help