Study Tips: Part 1

We all think that it gets better with time but there is no getting used to the anxiety one gets when it’s that time of the year and that is…
SECOND SEMESTER EXAMS!!!

First and foremost there are those who are still crossing their fingers that they got exam entry and after receiving your fate you found that you made it… Now it’s the rush of putting all the notes together and asking friend’s notes in case you bunked some classes. If you are really desperate you will even attempt to email your lecturer or tutor at 1 am and expect them to reply. When that rush is over its somehow finding time to actually start with the studying. There are those who are internally motivated and already start making notes well off before the time. Then there is our old friend called Procrastination. It seems like you not really wasting time but deep down you know you better start with your work because days just go by faster lately…then before you know it ,its towards end of October and UJ is making you begin with exams on a Saturday and if they really love your presence they make you write two papers in one day.

This is the period where you ignore the fact that you have to buy data bundles or renew your BIS. The period where all of a sudden you remember that energy drinks actually do exist. 

Its the study week and for the next days we will hook you up on study tips to help pass your exam and dodge the monster “F7” .

So there you....

Study Tip #1

Understand your study topics in your own words: Your lecturer can explain something to you, you can learn it from a text book, your friends can study with you, even your own notes can explain it to you but all these explanations are of little use if, by the end, you can’t explain what you have learned to yourself. If you don’t understand a study concept that you need to illustrate in an exam to get top exam results, then you won’t be happy with your end exam result. To combat this, get into the habit of explaining w

hatever it is you are studying, in your own words, so you understand your study notes. The key to help improve your memory is to understand what you've learned when you are studying it. So don’t just memorise and tick off the list – make sure you understand your theory.

Don't be too trusting

Joburg comes with flashing lights and everything under the sun, don’t be fooled by it, this place is a jungle at its best, they don’t call it GP (Gangsters Paradise) for nothing,crime features strongly as one of the themes of Johannesburg. I’m currently doing my Btech at DFC, and I wish someone would have cautioned me during my first year about the real life dangers that students face on a daily basis. Yes, the university cautions us about consequences of not meeting academic requirement as well as taking care of our wellbeing, but I feel as though no one cautions us about the real life dangers we might encounter during our studies.

During my first year I was looking for promotional part time job to earn an extra buck ,  a guy approached us saying he needed promo girls at that time, I though “whoop whoop” just my luck. He took us to Melrose Arch to brief us about this particular event and insisted that we have a drink before we go because he didn't want any shy girls, he later span us a story about a Government event  that we would be working for that particular night, the event paid quite well and we would be required to be data captures for that event. He asked that we give our phones to one of our friends as no phones are allowed to enter the venue because of security precautions, we didn't think much of it because we just wanted the job as it paid very well. We were also required to bring our own laptops to capture the data. The girl that was chosen to take our phones left with the man to take our belongings to “Safe Keeping”. At this point, our friend was robbed by this man, he took all our phones and laptops and rapped our friend and dumped her by the Sandton Convention Center.  Moral of the story please be warned, DON’T BE TOO TRUSTING OF ANYONE! More especially when your safety is concerned.

Tips for students

•  Make sure you work for promotion companies that are well known and legitimate, do research on them if necessary
•   Avoid walking alone at night
•  Don’t talk on your  phone while walking, earphones also draw a lot of unnecessary attention to thieves
• Sugar daddies can bring you more than money, they rob you of your innocence and might leave you with AIDS
• Always carry cab money with you when going out
•   Don’t over indulge in alcohol , don’t do drugs, practice safe sex
•   Learn to take care of yourself
•   Don’t take lifts from strangers 

Forming relationships in varsity

Your undergraduate years are labeled as “the best of your life” for many reasons. You meet some of your closest friends, you try juggling your school work with your social life and you build new relationships.

Dating at university appears to be a war zone we work through. During my second year at varsity I met this guy who was doing his honours degree, we started dating for a while and he  evidently  finished his studies before me. Our relationship was great because he understood that we both had to manage our time effectively in order for me to balance our relationship with my studies. If your partner is not studying, make sure he/she understands your school schedule and supports your studies, you need to find a partner who recognizes the temporary nature of your schooling, who sees the potential in you that your education is helping you realize, and is willing to be flexible and supportive, even if you’re pulling an all-nighter on a Friday.In the end, it’s about the two of you coming together and agreeing to make the relationship work despite the sacrifices you both have to make. Make use of the UJ health clinic, it offers Reproductive Health Care (Family Planning) and HIV/Aids Counseling and Testing (VCT). If you’re sexually active, remember to practice safe sex at all times.

Another exciting part of your undergraduate is meeting some of your closest friends. I’m sure you've heard the saying; a rotten apple can spoil the whole bag. Let’s say you happen to have a basket of delicious ripe apples and there’s one spoiled apple amongst the bunch, you can rest assured within days all the apples in the basket will start rotting.  Friendship takes on the same approach, bad company can ruin good character; choose your friends accordingly because they will affect what you become. With that being said, have fun and build meaningful relationships.