In light of Semester 2 approaching, I thought it was only fitting to bring up the dreaded S word. Studying. or school…. Or sleep deprivation. You get the gist. While we all remain motivated, organised and committed to the inevitable lie that we will maintain this positive attitude for the rest of the year, it may be worth discussing how we plan to survive the next 13 weeks of uni.
Although last year blessed us with plenty of misfortunes, one redeeming quality that I (unexpectedly) attributed was my productive study schedule. After failing 3 subsequent semesters of uni, being temporarily suspended for a year and driving down the road of scholastic shame and self doubt, I somehow found a way to excel my last 3 full time semesters of uni with a full time job!
Now I recognise that school isn’t for everyone and never has been for many of you… If this is the case, then this post probably won’t apply to you. However if you are in high school worrying about your academic future or in your fifth year of uni worrying about your academic future, then I want to first advise you that YOU. ARE. OKAY. I hope I can shed some light on the minute importance your grades have on your character. They are not an indication of your future. They are not a reflection of your potential and they certainly will not lead you on your path to a hefty salary. Let me put it in perspective.
For anyone who knew me in high school, it’s no secret that I wasn’t the model student. Sure, I wasn’t the worst one either but I simply didn’t care. I had no intention of applying for uni after school and didn’t care what my atar would have looked like. To me, HSC now seems like a drop of water in a grand lake. It wasn’t until I decided to travel abroad in 2017, where I caught myself voluntarily writing every single day. Just because I simply enjoyed it. No rewards, no due dates and no pressure to get it done. When I returned back to Australia, I figured I may as well study journalism and make a career out of something I merely enjoyed doing in my spare time. So why am I telling you this?
I guess the first piece of advice I can give you is, to make sure you are studying whatever it is because IT CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR PASSION. That’s not to say, that you’re going to love every unit you take and that your studying experience is going to be a breeze because you enjoy every second; but at least if you know that what you are doing is contributing to what you love, then this makes studying and the sacrifice that much easier. News flash, Uni is going to be hard and suck at times regardless, but finding the reasoning for it is what will drive you through the mud.
Second thing I want to reiterate, is that your mental health is more important than your grade. Sure it’s nice to have a record of As and HDs, but let me remind you that Ps get the degrees. Remind yourself to take a step back when you begin to get critical with yourself. Look at the bigger picture. Be kind to yourself and be willing to give up a perfect mark, if it means attending to yourself, friends, family and even work. Your studies are one component of your life and if you can afford to do well, then sure, go for it! But if you are sacrificing your happiness and peace of mind, then take your foot off the break and revise your priorities. At the end of the day, you marks will only be able to produce a piece of paper (which doesn’t even guarantee you a job). Remind yourself what really matters.
With that all said and done, if your problem isn’t either one of those things and it all just simply comes down to a lack of organisation and time management; then I completely get it. Time management was the one thing that set me back when I first began studying. I would allocate all my time to my job and social life; I honestly couldn’t comprehend how people balanced more than 2 things at once. One MAJOR tweak I made that set me up for the rest of the semester was using the week before uni to prepare. Buy a dairy, make a calendar and set reminders for yourself when quizzes are due, assignments should be started and lectures should be watched. Preparing these things in advance is going to take a lot of the weight off your shoulders when you’re in the thick of it all. Do it for future you!
Following on from that last point, I can’t help but stress that there are countless materials and support systems for you at school. Utilise the tools on offer and throw yourself into the lifestyle of a student. Even if that means setting one day a week for yourself to spend the day there, applying for a society/group or booking in an appointment with an advisor. I am naturally someone who likes to tackle my issues alone and avoid asking for help, but choosing to accept support will simply save you a lot of time and stress (and most likely enhance your overall school experience). You don’t want to look back on your time as a student and regret not embracing the short lived experience to its full potential!
Although I would like to think that I'll take my own advice, I can still guarantee that I’ll find myself pulling my hair out 3 months from now once my assignments start to pile up again. I suppose one last note I’ll leave you with is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I’ll be stressing out on my end and over dosing on caffeine, so if you need any support during the semester, feel free to reach out to me. Remember that it’s all part of the experience! Good luck!
Chlo xx
