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"Studying"

Has anyone got any tips on studying? I find that at the moment, I've got so much on my mind as I am working full time, studying an Open University course in the evenings and applying for uni (which has turned out to be a lot harder than I thought) whilst trying to read, socialise, eat, sleep, etc. and with all this uni stuff on my mind I just can't focus on my studying, I keep daydreaming all the time and nothing's going in. I'm really starting to fall behind now, and I'm tired all the time.

Any tips/advice would be much appreciated.

Also any tips on how to make this uni searching easier, they never reply to my emails and never answer the phone.

I do miss the idea of Uni, the fact that I’m so young and have missed out on a lot of the aspects of it. I have lost contact with all my old friends and don’t see that many people around my own age in my line of work, so I do feel a little cut off.

I miss the idea of trying to better myself or increase my knowledge in an area I’m interested. The social aspect would, of course, be great too.

I don’t however feel any loss at the not accumulating huge debts part.

Good to hear you're going for it.

My revision tips (couldn't be bothered to read everything before, so there might be repeats. My eyes hurt):

If you find you aren't concentrating, take a short break. You won't be learning anyway. But you need the mental discipline to keep it short, and go back to work after a couple of minutes. Be strong!

If you're short of time for stuff, when you cook, do enough for a few days.
In my last year at uni I did this all the time, only had to cook every other day.
Also, stuff you can make quickly, or leave in the oven while you revise in the kitchen, will buy you a little extra time.

But most of all, the one thing that turned me from a mid 2:2 into a mid 2:1 student for my last year at uni:

Get the fear.

I knew I needed to work every minute I had in order to scrape a 2:1 . When you have no comfort zone and a clear idea of you have to do, and a healthy fear of failure, motivation comes much easier. Set yourself targets, and keep to them.
(I got the 2:1 by an average 0.02 marks per module)

Simon Says wrote:
>
> I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way. Supposedly everyone at
> university is intelligent, and so you should be able to engage in
> intelligent social discussions with anyone. The reason I am sceptical
> about Physics soc, Chem soc etc is the motives behind the people who
> join. I'm sure it's not the same in every case but I found that a lot
> of the time they are more interested in hearing themselves speak, and
> quite often the is a "He who shouts loudest wins" attitude
> to some discussions. Unfortumately I found that I couldn't relate to
> a lot of those sorts of people. Generally like you I find I get along
> with most groups of people. Maybe it was just that I spent all day in
> lectures and labs with them and needed something different for my
> spare time.

I've just realised, it sounded like I was annoyed, I really wasn't promise! I was just really interested to know what you meant, and you have just explained it perfectly. I guess I will find out for myself, seeing as Icarus says his uni is the opposite. At the end of the day when you're all out drinking, you get to know everyone from all courses and opinions, whether media students or physic students, and out of each group you will probably find you make a good friend. I get what you mean about the 'shouting loudest' attitude, and seeing as I have little knowledge of physics, I'd quite likely be shouted down! I guess I just wanna chill with people that actually care about stuff, my friends here don't, and it bores me, I need to be challenged, mentally stimulated. Hopefully, as you say, most uni students are like that, and my course hopefully means I will meet more people into the same kind of stuff as me. I can't wait! Let's just hope I get in somewhere decent.

> What is a geek is an interesting question though. I could be awarded
> that label because I am a programmer, because I studied physics,
> because I play games. I don't care if people label me as a geek
> because the people who know me and who I associate with know that I
> am much more than that.
>
It all depends on who is saying it, I'm certain 'geek' has a different meaning for every single person that says it, I know how you meant it and someone else would mean it completely different. I suppose that's all words really - they only mean as much as the intention the person had when saying it.

I think without this thirst for knowledge and complete awe of the world around me, I would be bored and boring. I can't imagine not having this constant feeling of excitement about learning new stuff, it's so cool and shapes who we are. Like just thinking why we do the stuff we do, that's enough to keep me excited! and such a sexy quality in a guy that you can discuss this stuff with. So I guess where I think that's sexy and 'cool' someone else (I have a friend in mind) would say it's 'geeky'.

It kinda makes life easier as well, knowing about stuff, I mean I find relationships/flirting, etc. a lot easier knowing a bit more about science, and believing that we really are slaves to our instinct. I may be cynical now and have lost my little girls dream of the perfect love, but I'm happier now, as I can't be dissapointed (so I say now).

Kat wrote:
> ßora† SagdiyeV wrote:
> I hate it, thank god I am in my final year.
>
> Do you really hate it? Does the social aspect not make up for it?
> Where are you studying and what?

I'm at Bolton, and am not living on campus, so the social aspect isn't really an issue. I have to drive 20 miles to get there.

I'm doing a computer science degree and have so far accumulated about 14 grand in debt, so the quicker I finish and start earning money, the better.

I suppose I don't 'hate' it, but I really feel I am trapped there, and every one of my friends has long finished and are now working full time, so I am left behind.

Icarus wrote:
> You just described the complete opposite of what happens in my uni -
> the way I see it anyway.
>
> Come to think of it, it's true that the med students do stick
> together; rarely are they seen with anyone else from a different
> subject.

At my uni the bane of everyones life is the drama department, mostly because a lot of more technical subjects surround it where people trapped in uncomfortable labs can look over and see them congregating around the back stage door smoking and generally being over the top extraverts.

In general terms though I think just associating with one group or type of people can be a bad thing.

All this makes me think. When I was younger I was the stereotypical "I'm a person, I don't want to be a stereotype" type kid, for the most part failing to realise that was exactly what I was doing. Soon I realised that stereotypes and cliches, much as we hate them, exist for a reason.

Kat wrote:
>
> Oh, well aren't you just Mr 'Big Black Cloud'. What is a 'geek'
> though? somebody intelligent? Anyway that would just be my chance to
> have 'intelligent' social discussions, I will still party with the
> rest of the uni. I would like to think that I can get on well with
> most 'types' of people, and fit in to most 'groups'. I am expecting
> and hoping to have lots of different types of friends at uni,
> learning from them all and enjoying the variety life has to offer.

I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way. Supposedly everyone at university is intelligent, and so you should be able to engage in intelligent social discussions with anyone. The reason I am sceptical about Physics soc, Chem soc etc is the motives behind the people who join. I'm sure it's not the same in every case but I found that a lot of the time they are more interested in hearing themselves speak, and quite often the is a "He who shouts loudest wins" attitude to some discussions. Unfortumately I found that I couldn't relate to a lot of those sorts of people. Generally like you I find I get along with most groups of people. Maybe it was just that I spent all day in lectures and labs with them and needed something different for my spare time.

What is a geek is an interesting question though. I could be awarded that label because I am a programmer, because I studied physics, because I play games. I don't care if people label me as a geek because the people who know me and who I associate with know that I am much more than that.

I guess my point is that you don't need to join Physics soc to engage in intelligent discussion.

Damn, I knew I was going to talk myself in to trouble using that word.

You just described the complete opposite of what happens in my uni - the way I see it anyway.

Come to think of it, it's true that the med students do stick together; rarely are they seen with anyone else from a different subject.

Simon Says wrote:

> Oh, erm, right. Well, in my experience university and life in general
> has a great deal to do with who you are with. It's the people who are
> the most important. I'm sorry to say that in my experience of both
> Physics and Computer Science there is a large "geek
> continguient". Don't get me wrong. The vast majority were really
> nice (mainly) guys and (rarely) gals, and I'm sure that some people
> would probably slap the same label on me, but for the most part I
> preferred to look elsewhere to satisfy my social needs. I only really
> associated with two or three other students in both cases.
>
> Astronomy sounds like it might be good though.

Oh, well aren't you just Mr 'Big Black Cloud'. What is a 'geek' though? somebody intelligent? Anyway that would just be my chance to have 'intelligent' social discussions, I will still party with the rest of the uni. I would like to think that I can get on well with most 'types' of people, and fit in to most 'groups'. I am expecting and hoping to have lots of different types of friends at uni, learning from them all and enjoying the variety life has to offer.

As you say, you could be labelled as a 'geek' but we both know that you are just interested in more than what is right in front of your eyes, and that is very cool.

Icarus wrote:
> Oh, I'm not alone in thinking that most CS students are hostile people
> then!!

On the contrary, I wouldn't say that compuer science students are hostile at all.

>
> Honestly, the faces they give you when you just walk past...
>
> Compare it to the med students, who all seem to get on like one big
> happy family...

Now I don't know about med students but in my (very limited) experience post graduate med students are mostly arrogant, rude and generally unpleasant.
Like I said, my experience is limited, but consistent.

Oh, I'm not alone in thinking that most CS students are hostile people then!!

Honestly, the faces they give you when you just walk past...

Compare it to the med students, who all seem to get on like one big happy family...