Taming a New Learning Style
Upon entering university, you will find yourself in a much more laid-back atmosphere than in high school or college. You’re finally independent! No need to look over your shoulder – no one will control whether you do your homework, meet your curfew, attend lectures, and submit papers on time. This is what makes the ‘independent learning’ style in most UK universities, whereby contact hours with the school are reduced, and you are left to complete most of studying on your own. While your new freedom may sound fun (and coming from experience, it really is!), staying on track with your degree requires self-discipline, time management, and a high degree of collaboration and responsibility. This blog will cover what independent learning really is from experience with some advice on how to nail it in your first years of university.
1. Why independent learning?
According to some education studies, independent learning has great impact on students’ academic performance and confidence in their future career. You might ask – why enroll on a paid university course, when I end up studying most of it on my own? First of all, universities provide their students with exclusive access to academic databases, libraries, memberships, professional equipment, and personal connections with well-known academics along with pleasant bonuses, such as Careers advice, social clubs, insider industry networks, scientific conferences, arts exhibitions, and festivals. Wow, that’s a lot!
Also, ‘independent learning’ helps you figure out your own pace, structure, and style of work, along with the freedom of prioritizing what truly interests you and developing a great career in that specialized field. Plus, you get to independently develop crucial transferrable skills, which high school or college only nudges you towards, such as self-discipline, motivation, time management and organization. So, while ‘independent learning’ can come across as a bit scary and does not seem to make much sense at first, it is actually one of the best ways to deliver busy and complex university programmes.
2. How to learn independently?
Discipline and Motivation
The hardest part of self-learning for me was definitely starting on assignments and creative projects, which required a lot of motivation and discipline. For this, I would suggest keeping a calendar – either digitally, or on a physical whiteboard, which you could get from Amazon for under £10. It’s a great investment to keep all your commitments visible and always remember when your essays are due, what shifts you are working, and how many e-mails await a response. I keep my priorities straight with the ‘Eisenhower Matrix’ technique, whereby I divide all my responsibilities in four groups (important and urgent, important but not urgent, less important but urgent, and less important and not-so-urgent) and fulfil them accordingly. I also keep a digital calendar in Apple and Outlook, adding reminders and priority ranks as I fill my schedule for the month ahead. Even if you feel like there’s not much to mark in your reminders just yet, ticking simple tasks off could help you work out a good study ethic early on in your academic journey leave you with a great sense of accomplishment! See some examples of my technique below:
Embrace Epic Fails
At the same time, don’t worry if things don’t go according to plan – they never really do, you just learn to navigate timetabling clashes and take responsibility for procrastinating along the way. I couldn’t keep on track of my tasks until I left all of my first-year essays until the very last day and spent 48 consecutive hours in the library. It wasn’t exactly a piece of cake but taught me some crucial lessons! Another key advice is to never be too hard on yourself, as you are just starting out as an independent adult – an epic fail will teach you more than the biggest accomplishment. Take consistent wellness breaks, enjoy yourself, and don’t forget to make friends, as it is them that will throw their graduation caps with you at the end of your degree – not your exam grades (as long as you pass, though). University is really the best time to experiment, flop a course and embarrass yourself in the Student Union, so prioritize your end goal, take responsibility over your mistakes, and keep moving towards your dream (how cheesy)!
Independent Together
The most important thing to remember is that independent study doesn’t mean studying alone. This goes both for peers and academics. I would suggest taking advantage of university friends as accountability partners by forming a study-buddy group. I am usually peer-pressured into writing large papers or filming long movies by pestering someone from the course who has already started. Together, it’s much easier to navigate deadlines, take the strain off during library breaks, and organize productive study sessions!
Despite the popularity of learning from home at university, you are surrounded by plenty of supportive academic and professionals. Your professors, lecturers, and technical advisors are always there to schedule a 1-2-1 tutorial. You can always drop in with a question during their office hours, which are usually updated on the course’s VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). Every year at Goldsmiths you are assigned a personal tutor to help you with general enquiries about your student experience, so there is always someone to support you throughout your study. For more specific issues, appointments, and lessons, we also have the Learning to Learn module in most first-year courses and the CALL center for academic language learning, along with Disability and Wellbeing services always available to you on campus.
3. Conclusion: Advantages and Downsides
Just as a final thought, let’s recap on the benefits and disadvantages of independent learning, so you can start preparing yourself for you Higher Education life in advance. I drew a quick spreadsheet for you:
