Touch typing teaches you to:

• Make use of all digits on both hands, not just your index fingers!
• Look at the screen, or document you are copying from, not the keyboard.
• Type at least around twice as fast as finger and thumb methods

Learning to touch type allows you to work more fluidly, the fact that you are looking at the screen (your output) and not the keyboard means you are concentrating fully on the content of your document / degree assignment.

You can see instantly when you have made a mistake and correct it.

I used a CD Rom to learn to touch type which gets you looking at the screen (not the keyboard) immediately.

I used an old (pre 2000 I think) version of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing from Mindscape, available used on Amazon for less than five pounds.

Advantages

• It is cheap
• You can sell it on to another student when once you’ve learned, you won’t need to use it again!
• It is very effective (I learned the keyboard in ten hours)
• You will save hundreds of hours on written work for your degree
• Your degree work will flow more easily
• It is a life long skill which surprisingly, only a minority of people posses

Disadvantages

• The commentary on Mavis Beacon is irritating, but you learn just as easily with the sound off.
  
  

Very early on in my degree I allowed another student to read some of my work. It quickly became apparent they were planning to plagiarise it. I warned them not to and nothing came of it, but it was a valuable lesson:

• Only work with people who share your commitment and ethics
• Never give anyone else your work, or leave work unattended

Plagiarism is taken very seriously by universities, if someone copies your work, you will also be penalised.

Freeloaders come in many guises, using a mixture of humour, charm, flirtation and sympathy as emotional levers. Failing this more unpleasant forms of guile and pressure are applied.

Never the less, freeloaders are usually easy to identify as:

• You will not see them at university lectures
• You will not see them in the university library
• When you do see them at university they will be messing around
• They will ultimately try and manipulate you into helping them with their own degree assignments

A proactive approach is often helpful in countering attempts at manipulation:

• Suggest they start their degree assignments
• Advise them to turn up to university lectures
• Advise them to seek help from university lecturers if they are struggling
• Make it clear that they are heading toward failure (as opposed to being bailed out by you)

If they take your advice they will not need to ask for your work.
If they do not take your advice then you have already put the onus back on them and implied you are not going to bail them out, thus making it harder for them to ask for work, and easier for you to say no.

I guarantee, if you start giving work to freeloaders on your degree course they will keep taking all the way through your degree and give nothing of value back in return.

That said, you should help others on your degree where you can, it’s a good thing to do, and at some point you will need help and advice from other students in return. If you see someone working hard to help themselves, but struggling with particular topics on your degree course then there is no reason not to help them.

What I am saying is set your boundaries and don’t let anyone take advantage of you.

These exam papers will give a good indication of the level of difficulty you are likely to experience in the actual exam.

Often you will see that different year’s degree papers revolve around key points themes, make sure you revise these thoroughly, but do not rely too heavily on this principle, it could be disastrous!

In my first year I revised using past degree exam papers, and to my delight, many of the questions in the real exam were along similar lines. So, for my next examination I did the same, and not a single question was in any way related to the previous exam paper I had practiced with.
Hedge your bets and revise everything you have learned on your degree properly. only use old papers to supplement your other revision methods and gauge the depth of knowledge expected on your degree course.

A point I have made a number of times on this site is the need to get ahead with your work. Getting ahead enables you to plan your work and get the most out of your time. You do not have to spend hours working on a problem if you have time to ask for assistance. The later you leave your work, the fewer opportunities there will be to find things out ‘the easy way’. You will have to work harder, not smarter!

The following article taken from a Californian University site sums up procrastination:

Discussion

Procrastination is a complex psychological behavior that affects everyone to some degree or another. With some it can be a minor problem; with others it is a source of considerable stress and anxiety. Procrastination is only remotely related to time management, (procrastinators often know exactly what they should be doing, even if they cannot do it), which is why very detailed schedules usually are no help.

Characteristics

The procrastinator is often remarkably optimistic about his ability to complete a task on a tight deadline; this is usually accompanied by expressions of reassurance that everything is under control. (Therefore, there is no need to start.) For example, he may estimate that a paper will take only five days to write; he has fifteen days; there is plenty of time; no need to start. Lulled by a false sense of security, time passes. At some point, he crosses over an imaginary starting time and suddenly realizes, “Oh no! – I am not in control! There isn’t enough time!”

At this point, considerable effort is directed towards completing the task, and work progresses. This sudden spurt of energy is the source of the erroneous feeling that “I only work well under pressure.” Actually, at this point you are making progress only because you haven’t any choice. Your back is against the wall and there are no alternatives. Progress is being made, but you have lost your freedom.

Barely completed in time, the paper may actually earn a fairly good grade; whereupon the student experiences mixed feelings: pride of accomplishment (sort-of), scorn for the professor who cannot recognize substandard work, and guilt for getting an undeserved grade. But the net result is reinforcement: the procrastinator is rewarded positively for his poor behaviour. (“Look what a decent grade I got after all!”) As a result, the counter productive behaviour is repeated over and over again.

Positive reinforcement for delay (a good grade) is a principal contributor to continued procrastination.

There are a lot of explanations as to why people procrastinate, the best one liner I have heard on the subject is:

• The hardest part of getting started is getting started

There is no easy way around this, sometimes on assignments you will not know where to start. The best solution I have found is just to get on with it, start writing up your work, identifying topics for discussion and then working on those topics.

You may not make progress at first, but eventually you will get into the flow and things will start coming together.

Most of us struggle with certain topics, experiencing some kind of writers block, but as you write and think about the subject ideas will come to you.

• You will find the work a lot easier to do the work tomorrow if you make a start today!!

This popular article is also worth a read if procrastination is a problem you suffer!

• The Effectiveness of Self Imposed Deadlines on Procrastination

To use the Cornell note taking system, divide you page into three sections as shown below:

The three areas of the note taking template are used as follows:

1. Add bullet points, brief information
2. Add more detail in the main area
3. Write a summary at the end

When in lectures make notes in sections one and two. After the lecture think about what has been learned and write a summary.

Writing the summary is good revision in itself, thinking properly about the information presented in a lecture will help you retain it. The more you think about the topics you are studying, the more familiar you become with the subject, and the more easily you will find subsequent revision.

What you should end up with at the end of this process are notes that are easily read (the bullets / brief notes in section one). Being able to quickly read / scan your notes for relevant information will greatly assist you in your revision.

If you find what you are looking for in section 1, then you have additional detail near to it in section 2.

The summary in section 3 try and summarise the essence of what has been said. Make sure you capture all the key points and try and put these in some kind of context. The idea being that you can read the summary at a later point, as a quick memory jogger. This section will be particularly useful in the later stages of revision, when you already understand the topic, and are just looking for reminders to cram with before the exam.

What myself and others are describing is state of mind, of sorts, where every thing clicks, ideas come flooding forward, you are on a roll, and you know it!

I never found a way to induce this state, you somehow arrive at this point after spending time researching, reading and trying to write degree assignments.

You can spend hours working on something and not really make progress, then suddenly it all clicks and your work starts to flow, almost like a domino effect as one idea / conclusion leads to another.
The important things are to:

• Persist with your degree assignments until this happens to you
• Don’t stop working when it does!
• Write down your ideas in case you overlook them later on

I found being able to touch type really helped me arrive at this state as it allows you to concentrate fully on your degree work, it also helps you capitalise on on this state when it happens, as you are able to work a lot faster.

The fact that this state does occur is one reason why many people prefer to concentrate solidly on a single degree assignment until completion, as opposed to simultaneously working on many assignments. It takes time, a pre-occupation with your degree subject and a lot of thinking before this happens, but once it does you will achieve a massive amount in a short space of time.

Although what I have described may seem a little abstract, it is a real phenomenon I have both experienced and read about. Being able to get into this state of mind is invaluable if you want to achieve a first class degree.

]]> http://www.howtogetafirst.co.uk/getting-into-a-flow-with-your-degree-assignments/feed/ 1 http://www.howtogetafirst.co.uk/time-management/ http://www.howtogetafirst.co.uk/time-management/#comments Sun, 26 Nov 2006 23:19:14 +0000 get a first class degree http://www.howtogetafirst.co.uk/?p=19 Continue reading →]]> There are many posts on this site which will help you save and manage time on your degree course, a list of which can be found at the bottom of the page.

The objective of time management is to get the maximum output from every hour of work you do, to “work smarter not harder”.

To manage time efficiently on your university degree you need to stay in control.

If you lose control, any planning and structure you established on your degree will quickly evaporate!

Losing control means:

• Not knowing where you are in terms of skills / knowledge required to complete a degree assignment
• Not knowing what degree assignments have to be completed
• Not knowing how long it will take to complete each degree assignment
• Not knowing how much time you have left on each degree assignment
• Not being able to work to your schedule
• Panicking close to university assignment deadlines

If you allow this to happen you will lurch from one crisis to the next.
You will hemorrhage time as your efficiency drops in the panic, and time lost on one degree assignment impacts the next, perpetuating the problem.

For example, you may spend an hour or two trying to understand something required for a late degree assignment. Had you identified this sooner, when you were in a position to ask for help, you may have achieved the same in 10 minutes by asking a university lecturer.

This is the overriding reason why you should always hand university degree work in at least one week early. If you get stuck on a problem, you can put that particular university assignment down and work on something else instead, knowing you have time to ask the relevant questions of university tutors or other degree students.

Working ahead means you are able to optimise your output against working time, i.e. you never waste time on a particular degree assignment “because it has to be done today”.

Working ahead of deadlines avoids compression of multiple tasks into short time frames which causes stress. Becoming stressed can make you work faster, harder, better, but it often results in more mistakes being made. Again, completing university work a week ahead of deadlines helps to alleviate stress, or in cases where stress is workload induced, as opposed to being driven by a deadline, you have time to double check your degree work when you are calmer.

To make the best use of your time at university always:

• Start your university assignments early
• Ask for advice on degree assignments at the earliest opportunity

If you are a serious degree student and ask for advice early on, then you will:

• Be more likely to receive that advice from university lecturers
• Have more time to apply the advice given by university lecturers
• Have time to go back and seek further advice from university lecturers

To make better use of your time at university have a look at the following posts:

Learn to touch type before your degree starts
Learn to use your word processor for your degree course
Learn about referencing, writing reports and essays before going to university
Working to a schedule on your university degree course
Planning your university degree work
Prioritising your university degree work
You could also have a look at the post:

Students should consider buying a laptop for a first class degree

• Save time when working on degree assignments
• Meet all university assignment deadlines

When prioritising work for your degree, consider

• When does it need to be done
• Do I have the skills / knowledge to complete this task
• When will I gain new skills / knowledge for this task

Usually it is best to prioritise university assignments by deadline, however this does not always make best use of your time.

For every hour you work, consider “right now, am I making the best use of my time”

For example, if you have two university assignments with different deadlines, it may make sense to start the assignment due to be handed in later, if you are currently in a better position to work on this degree assignment than the one due in earlier.

This can be dangerous, do not:

• Cut degree assignment deadlines to fine
• Use this as an excuse to avoid difficult tasks at university

Make sure you do:

• Briefly plan what you need to do to get up to speed on the university degree module required earlier
• Act on that plan
• As soon as you are able, revert to working on the degree assignment due in earlier

Being able to do this depends on the requirements identified in the post on Planning your university degree work, i.e. at all times knowing:

• Where you are in terms of skills / knowledge required to complete degree assignment
• What tasks have to be completed for your university degree
• How long you think it will take to complete each task at university
• How much time you have left on each task for your degree

The advantage of prioritising in this way is that you do not waste a disproportionate amount of time working on problems which you could ask a university tutor for support with.

Prioritising in this way is another reason why you should work ahead on your degree course as you can identify areas where you need support in time to get that support from university staff, or other degree students.

Getting stuck on a problem the day before a university assignment is due leaves you few options.

This way of working is not appropriate for everyone, it depends on how easily you are able to switch tasks, and how quickly you are able to get into “the flow” with a piece of university degree work.

I have added a separate post “Get into a flow if you want a first class degree” which should be considered when planning and prioritising work.

In order to work flexibly and prioritise properly you always need to know:

• Where you are in terms of skills / knowledge required to complete a university assignment
• What tasks have to be completed for your university degree
• How long you think it will take to complete each university assignment
• How much time you have left on each degree assignment

Get a single small wall calendar that shows the entire year at a glance.

• Mark all your university assignment deadlines
• Mark all your degree assignment deadlines again, this time one week early

Handing in university degree work one week early will save you time:

• If you get stuck, you have time to ask questions of university lecturers, or other degree students, which is quicker than trying to work it out on your own the night before the assignment deadline
• Getting university work proof read at an early stage saves time on corrections

Now would be a good time to get a Gmail (see post on Google mail) account. Google have a free calendar utility which can help you plan your university degree work, on which you can plot all your degree assignment deadlines, as well as your weekly timetable of university lectures. Adding a university timetable is easy, as the calendar allow you to repeat weekly / daily events automatically, including your lunch and break times if you are determined to stick to your work schedule!.

Over planning tasks up front is not effective on a degree course, there are too many variables, you need to be flexible in your approach. Spending hours on a detailed task based plan for university study is a waste of time, it will be obsolete within a few weeks.

The important thing is to constantly assess and re-assess (for the second time!):

• Where you are in terms of skills / knowledge required to complete a task at university
• What tasks have to be completed for your degree course
• How long you think it will take to complete each task at university
• How much time you have left on each degree assignment

Being constantly aware of these three things will allow you to effectively prioritise your work and put you one step closer to getting a first class degree!

On a degree there is always work to be done, you are in a race against time / deadlines. You do not have time to lose.

• Do not procrastinate
• Stick to your schedule!

If you work from 09:00 to 17:30 every day, allowing half an hour for lunch and two 15 minute coffee breaks, that gives you 37 hours per week as your minimum..

There is a big difference between attendance time and working time. The calculation for 37 hrs per week is based on you working solidly, not chatting or surfing the Internet.

If you work solidly during these hours, you will maximise your quality free time at evenings and weekends.

When you need / want to work into the evening or weekends consider it overtime, do not deduct hours from the following week.

Never work less than your committed hours on your degree course with the intention of working longer the following week. If you cannot do 37 hours a week now, what on earth makes you think you can do 50 hours later on?

This is how the majority of people work every day, its no big deal to put in 37 hours hard work per week. Its not physical work, it’s interesting, in fact, its a privilege to attend University, treat it as such.

It helps a lot to continue working / reading through university holidays, don’t shut down over the summer. Make a start on the following years reading list.

Put your degree before other commitments such as part time work. If you need to work part time, then do it at weekends when it will fit more easily into your schedule.

If you work to a schedule, you can get the best marks at university and still have time to enjoy yourself. If you plan properly, and are disciplined in following this plan, you can have your cake and eat it!