Top tips for studying remotely, from overseas
STUDENT INTERVIEWS
By Annette Fung, International Student (offshore) - 2nd Year, Medicine
Whether you’re a new student who has just started studying online, or a current student who has been transitioning from face-to-face teaching to studying remotely, these are my tips that hopefully help you in individualising your own study plan and making online learning more effective!
Stay on track of your studies
To stay on track of your studies, you can start by writing down your class schedule and deadlines for assignments / group projects in each course at the start of the term. During semesters, try to attend as many live classes as possible, and if you have to miss a class, make sure to watch the recording or catch up ideally within a week. Breaking down your goals into smaller tasks, and writing to-do lists of the week or the day would give you clear goals to work towards as well.
Time management
Create a routine to keep yourself organised and motivated. Allocate specific time intervals for your studies (including classes and study time) and breaks. Since you’re studying from home, the boundary between work and rest can be ambiguous. Therefore, establishing an exact time for study and break (e.g. no more studying after 11pm) can be helpful. Of course, don’t forget to do what keeps you energetic, for example, exercising, playing musical instruments and more!
This is what my to-do list looks like!
Be active in classes
No matter if it is just posting a question on a discussion forum, answering questions during tutorials, or leading discussions in breakout rooms, being active in classes allows you to learn more by constantly thinking and referring to course content. New knowledge and perspectives can be gained from listening to others’ ideas too. My experience tells me that if you’re more active in classes, your classmates are more likely to be active as well, which greatly improves your learning experience.
Connect with peers
Studying alone can be hard. Connecting with classmates can make studying remotely more enjoyable by exchanging resources, helping each other out with course materials, and most importantly, supporting and keeping each other on top of studies. Don’t be afraid to take the initiative to reach out to your classmates, because they are probably as scared as you are. You might even make a new friend from this!
Find out how you best study online
Everyone studies differently. Take some time to try out different ways of studying to see how you best study remotely. It can be going to a library and study quietly, or going to a cafe and enjoying cakes and coffee during your study. Try out different studying methods to see which one suits you as well, for instance, you can type notes on your computer, or handwrite notes in notebooks, or annotate your lecture slides. Find a way that allows you to study productively remotely and stick to it!
I hope the above tips would be useful to you. Ultimately, everyone has their own ways of studying, so I encourage everyone to try out different methods and find the one that is most suitable for you and makes you most comfortable. Apart from studying, have fun and enjoy life - do what makes you happy and cherish the time spent with family and friends! Hopefully we’ll all be back in Sydney and see each other on campus soon!