Make The Most Of Your Lectures This Year

Finding lectures a bit of a struggle? Make sure you’re at your best with our top tips:

1. Know your course and how lectures relate to it as a whole. Is lecture content equal to seminar/tutorial work, or is it used as more of an overview? Either way, if you know why you’re there, it’ll help structure your work flow.

2. Get organised. Folders, right equipment and someone who can take notes from you if you can’t make lectures.

3. Fuel up before you get there. Lectures that go on for two hours are pointless if you’re in desperate need of an espresso or three.

4. Try reading some of the appropriate books before you get to your lectures. If you already have a strong background knowledge, you’ll get much more out of your lectures.

5. If your lectures are going to contain a lot of stuff, delivered relatively rapidly, consider taking a dictaphone with you. Many more students do this than you would think!

6. Take small notes rather than attempting to scribble down in depth sentences. You’ll end up loosing your place and writing something that’s ultimately illegible.

7. Make sure you get all the handouts and file them away properly – they’re there for a reason.

8. Ask questions as you go, chances are whatever you’re asking will be helpful to everyone else.

9. Also, if you don’t understand something, ask! It’s better to understand fully now, than be trying to revise with a set of confusing notes.

10. Read your notes after lectures. You’ll find areas where you need to dedicate some extra reading time to and it should help all that extra info you’ve just learnt become ingrained.