By Nora
So you’ve done it, right? Done the interviews, submitted the written work, and now you have an offer from your top choice university. The hard work is all over! Congratulations!
However…
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of relaxing a little bit too much after getting your uni offers, especially if exam season seems in the distant future, but keeping yourself motivated is the best way to make sure that all your hard work pays off, and you end up at the university of your dreams come October. Here are a few tips to help you stay on track and keep motivated for your upcoming exams.
1. Relax
Okay, I know this is kind of counterintuitive to what I just said, but stressing yourself out is only a surefire way to burning yourself out. Don’t let your uni offer weigh on your mind, and don’t let academics completely consume you. If you spend all day in the library from now until June, you’ll only regret it in the future. Without sounding like a cliche, this is the best time of your life, where you’ll make lifelong memories with friends, so make sure you balance your studies with your personal life - so go to that party, see that movie, but make sure you’re picking up the books too.
2. Organise, organise, organise
I cannot stress enough how important organisation is, not only to you getting top marks in your exams, but going even further into your life. At uni you have to often organise your entire day, creating your own motivation and structuring your own time. Now is the best time to start creating habits which will stick with you for a lifetime (and benefit you for a lifetime!). Create a revision timetable, and stick to it, with blocks of time where you’ll focus on each of your subjects. Maybe Monday afternoon will be a Maths day, Saturday morning will be Chemistry… you get the picture. This way you can ensure you are paying equal attention to all of your subjects and creating healthy habits which will be crucial to life at university and beyond. (Be sure to pencil in time to relax too!)
3. Active v Passive Revision
Something which I love to use when I’m studying to keep myself motivated is switching between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ methods of revision. An active form of revision is something like making notes, or using flashcards, while a passive form might be listening to a podcast about the text you’re studying while you tidy your room, or watching a documentary on something on your Geography syllabus while you paint your nails. Not only does this ensure that you don’t spend all day hunched over your desk, and risk burnout, but you can also get other things done while maximising your revision time!
4. You’re all in this together (...to unashamedly quote High School Musical)
You and your friends are in the same boat and probably studying the same subjects for what might be the last time in your lives - utilise this! Group study sessions, where you test each other, or help each other out with tricky topics are an amazing way to both socialise and to study, helping you keep up your motivation. Use each other as motivation tools, and I promise that the social interaction will only make studying easier as you’ll be more willing to head out and actually get started if you have someone else to hold you accountable. This could even be just meeting a friend at the library or at a coffee shop and working independently but together for company - I always find that being around other people, even for a little while each day, helps me so much in not going stir crazy.
Ultimately, my biggest piece of advice is to just keep your eye on the goal. It doesn’t have to be the entire focus of the rest of your year, but keep it in mind when you’re studying. A Levels are not the be all and end all of your life, and whatever you achieve and wherever you go for uni, you will do amazing things and have the best time ever, but there is also no harm in trying the hardest you can whilst also enjoying your last year at school with your friends! Good luck!
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