As we approach the end of second term, students are now reflecting on their past year of education through zoom. Hortensia Kanika tells us a bit more about her view on life online.
I think that we can all agree that this academic year is not what we expected…at all, especially for my 1st year fellows. With the current outbreak, it is easy to lose motivation and focus on our study.
I have to admit that I am very disappointed that I could not attend the University for this second term since, just like most of us, I thought we could at least attend one of our modules’ lectures face to face. But I cannot take that as an excuse to let loose.
From the moment I received my acceptation letter from the University, I started to imagine how I would spend my first year far from home: meeting new people from all around the world, starting new activities, crying during exam time, etc. Even if my academic year is fully online, I try to achieve every goal I made for this year.
During the first term, I felt for the first in my entire life the lack of motivation to study. For someone who has always been studious, I found myself not being able to read a single paragraph from my textbooks. I could not find the motivation to do anything. Lockdowns had their effects on me.
Now that a new term has started, it is time to get back on track. I took some time during winter break to think about I could change, and I noticed area that I could improve to fully enjoy this year.
Motivation
To deal with my lack of motivation, I tried to redefine my goals for the year. Now that I know my weakness’ and strengths, I can set realistic goals.
I obviously want to attain good grades for this year, but this will never happen if I do not work on it. I’ve been trying to remember why I chose law. I really think that this is a great time to think about the future. It is okay to change your path if you realise that you made the wrong choice.
I also try to live my online study life as I would if I was on campus. So, I started looking for what I could do by myself or from home. Fortunately, some of the societies that I wanted to join, still function on zoom, such as the public speaking society. Theres still opportunities to join, do not feel discouraged! The members are extremely kind and is so welcoming, youll find no reason to feel embarrassed or shy. Then, of course, Rebel. These two societies make me feel like a real student and also help me to connect with other students.
Your clothes can help to get yourself ready to study. Isn’t it a shame to be dress up and spend your time in your bed? That is how I feel every single time, so I often use this trick when I do not feel like studying. Yasmin Evans gives use some tips on what to wear for only study, just click here to read it.
Organisation
We all have our own way to manage our time. Personally, I’ve seen tons of videos on ‘how to get up earlier’, ‘a day in my law student life’ and so on, but there was not a magical tip that resolves my organisation instantly. I have tried many and only a few worked for me.
The biggest tip I could give to anyone one is to PLEASE PLAN YOUR DAY/ STUDY TIME. I may not stick to the planning, but at least I know exactly what I am supposed to do every day. Missing a whole day of study makes it really hard to catch up, therefore even on my bad days, I manage to do the most important tasks related to my studying.
I recommend working with other students in your modules or in the library. It really helps to focus on your work. You can also try Focusmate; a website that connects you with other students. It is very easy to use and the concept is easy to understand.
Create your space
After spending a year in the same bedroom, on the same bed, I started to suffocate in that room. It just kept reminding for those days I spent chilling on my bed, so it was really difficult to work in that same room. A method recommended by many is to create a special space to work.
I say draw a limit between your space of leisure such as your bed and your space of study. For example, I try to not go on Netflix when I am sitting on my desk and not to work on my bed. After a few weeks, I cultivated a habit to only work whilst I am sitting in my study space and almost not to work on my bed.
Self-care
For me, self-care is the most important point I learned a few months ago. For the first time after a while, I was able to really rest and enjoy time doing nothing. I really liked it (and my body did too). Therefore, it is completely normal to have a hard time getting back on track. I implore you to not add lots of pressure on yourself. The most important thing here is to take action even if you take 3000 thousand hours to accomplish it.
Moreover, this year is very gloomy and depressive, so it is normal to feel a bit like doing nothing. Just remember that there are a lot of people out there ready to help you overcome this challenge. Talk to your parents, friends, tutors or even try take a look at the different helps the University has just here.
No matter what might happen in the next couple of months, do not forget to live your life to the fullest!