Study tips from our Integrative Healthcare degree students
Our 4th year BSc (Hons) Integrative Healthcare students went back in time to come up with their best study advice and tips that they would give their 3rd year selves!
Carolyn Henderson
“My advice would be to always plan in lots of time to complete an assignment, not to try and do it last minute as it always takes so much longer than you expect! I always gave myself plenty of time to find information, find references and all the last minute things; word counts, page no’s, spell checking and grammar could take from a half day to a full day which you would never realise until you do it!”
Christine Mullen
“For me it would be to try to do something every day. Even just for an hour or two, such as basic reading, computer work, catching up with blogs, etc. As a shift worker I would tend to leave things until I am free to do them but then have to play catchup.”
Isabella McNeill
“If I could go back and give some advice to 3rd year me I would say:
A. Plan more efficiently!
B. READ, READ, AND READ SOME MORE
C. Ask more family/friends to read and critique my essays
D. Take better care of my mental and physical health
E. STOP BEING SO HARD ON MYSELF!
F. Believe I can achieve
G. Relax and enjoy it more."
Elizabeth Boyall
“I think I would definitely advise to be quite disciplined about a study timetable and prioritise college work above non-essential things! Accept that it is only for 9 months and the times passes quickly. Falling behind and/or procrastinating leads to raised levels of stress! Don't be afraid to ask for help, however stupid you think it may be. Have faith in yourself and never give up! It is amazing what you are capable of!!”
Jacqueline McArthur
“I would say always believe you can do it, you have come this far. Break down what the question is for the essay and tackle it a bit at a time then it's not so daunting. I think we can get overwhelmed when we see the question for the assignments and the temptation is to say to ourselves "I can't do it" and automatically generate negative feelings or thoughts about it. It's your mindset that needs to alter and there's no such word as "can't"!”
Emma Penman
“I bought 3 different notebooks. The 1st one I used for before the course started, I went through the academic writing skills page and made note of the things I struggle with, for example 'how to critically analyse'. This notebook sits with me when I'm writing essays/reports and is really useful.My 2nd notebook is my messy jotter and I use it as a diary and write down exactly what I have done that day, what book/journal I've read and write a brief explanation of what I thought and date it. I also set myself tasks for the following day. It's really useful for me as I'm so forgetful!
My 3rd one is for my dissertation.
Also, my advice would never under-estimate the amount of reading that's required!”
Jo-Anne Jamieson
“My advice to 3rd year me would be to be organised and have a plan from the start. Do little bits at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed. That way it’s easier to relax and enjoy the learning instead of feeling last minute pressure to get something down on paper to meet the submission date.”
Melissa Robson
“My advice would be to keep notes on any research you read in a word document with the reference written out, it will save so much time when you come to use the piece of research in any of your work, this was a game changer for me. Also, uni can be very stressful but try find something you enjoy about every piece of work you are doing, it will keep you interested and makes it feel less daunting if you are enjoying what you are researching and the year will go by so fast.”
A big thanks to our 4th year BSc (Hons) Integrative Healthcare students for sharing their top tips!
Our Student Services Centre can give you all the support and advice you may need during your time with us, and our Study Bar staff are experts in helping our students with a range of study skills.