Student working habbits..

I normally do my assignments late, but my final year project I will actually do properly as it's going to fail completely if I don't, because of this I've got a little bit of reading to do (need to do loads more too mind)...

IMAG0075.jpg

...14 papers, varying sizes, think the smallest is about 7 pages, most are around 15 some are around 30. Couple of ppts too that are getting on for a few hundred pages.

Once I've read that lot (and loads more stuff too mind) I'll be creating an application and doing a 15k word report on it. Fun times ahead.
 
Last edited:
InvaderGIR said:
I normally do my assignments late, but my final year project I will actually do properly as it's going to fail completely if I don't, because of this I've got a little bit of reading to do (need to do loads more too mind)...

IMAG0075.jpg

...14 papers, varying sizes, think the smallest is about 7 pages, most are around 15 some are around 30. Couple of ppts too that are getting on for a few hundred pages.

Once I've read that lot (and loads more stuff too mind) I'll be creating an application and doing a 15k word report on it. Fun times ahead.
Click to expand...

Shorter than my dissertation :(
At least in the literature review side
I'm up to about 20 sources (most papers, but a few books) cited and have several more books and papers I may use
 
As I say, just a few of them to start off with. :)

I have to write a full program, which will be loads of lines of code and likely be many more than the usual diso length in itself. Luckily though I get from 19th Jan - May time to work solely on the project. Exams mid Jan, then it's just this left.

I'm sure I have lots of books to read too, I have one in mind, and will be looking for many more as work progresses.

This is just 'light' reading to get me sorted with a good view as to how I want to tackle the project. :)
 
This is pretty much how I've done things this semester:

Weeks 1-3: Nothing
Weeks 3-7: Reading, Quote gathering, Journal reading, gaining as much understanding as possible, planning my 4 assignments.
Weeks 7-10: Writing up, doing drafts, getting further information, get girlfriend to read copies.
Week 11: Hand in.
Week 12: Actual deadline - laugh at those cramming at last minute.

:p
 
I hate my work ethic. I'm a high achieving student (straight A*/As through GSCE and A Level so far) but I don't work hard, at all. I laze around, do as little as humanly possible to get by, everything last min, and rely on natural ability to do well in exams after some last min textbook reading. One day this will come and bite me and I will have to work, but I'm hoping that's not for years to come :D
 
Like everyone else, I seem to work best under pressure. The last report I wrote (46 pages /8500 words) was done in one 18 hour sitting :o

With exams, I've learnt the best way to prepare for them so spending around 8 hours the day before studying seems to get me the best results.
 
I have to add, the most important skill or form of study habit is, in my opinion, the ability to find time to practice examination techniques, as in how you format your answers.

I typically ask for a format of what the examiners want to see - there is no point spending hours studying something you think is useful only to find out they consider it an irrelevant tangent (this is particularly so with law in my experience). Knowing what they want you to know is half the battle, getting it down in an orderly fashion within the time limits separates the men from the boys.

Hxc said:
I hate my work ethic. I'm a high achieving student (straight A*/As through GSCE and A Level so far) but I don't work hard, at all.
Click to expand...

Sadly, that attitude does not permit similar achievements as your education progresses, at least not for anybody I have ever met.
 
Last edited:
Sawell said:
I did this at school, did it at home, did it at college and I do it at work. My life is last minute.

Throughout my entire life all I've ever heard was "Graham could do exceptional things if he only applied himself". And it's true, once I summon the motivation to get something done I really do it well. But I just can't, call it boredom, short attention span, laziness... some massive part of me just really doesn't want to do things I don't care about. It's been the bane of my life and sometimes (when I summon the motivation, haha) I try to change it.
Click to expand...

K1LLSW1TCH said:
I've got a VB program to write, a Database to create and it's accompanying diagrams, as well as a write up for my Professional Skills module and this has to be done by mid Jan. I haven't even looked at any of the assignments yet.

Yesterday I went into the library just to have a quiet place to study and concentrate my thoughts but it just doesn't work. Knowing that there's Facebook, OcUK and Twitter at the click of a button is really, really tempting. I find myself logging into things like MSN and then trying to work in the background while chatting to other people. What normally happens is I end up splitting it about 90/10 in favour of talking to my friends and browsing the net instead... Really undisciplined I am at the moment.

I know what I need to do but it's the motivation of actually sitting down and saying to myself "Right, I'm going to do this, this and this and I'm not doing anything else until I get these done."

At the moment I lack that and it's always my brain saying 'I'll do it tomorrow definitely'.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums me up. :(

I know i need to get my head down and do the work and i tell myself i will, but it just doesnt happen.
 
Nitefly said:
Sadly, that attitude does not permit similar achievements as your education progresses, at least not for anybody I have ever met.
Click to expand...

You are in all likelyhood correct! It's something I really need to change but I just can't seem to force myself, it's rather frustrating if I'm honest :/ Perhaps after A level is all done next year uni will kick me into shape :S
 
robmiller said:
The rewards aren't proportionate to the amount of effort you put in—certainly above a certain point, anyway. You can work ten times harder than someone else, but you're not going to get a ten times higher mark: and so, for the lazy among us, it becomes tempting to find some equilibrium where you can get the highest mark possible for the lowest possible investment of work.
Click to expand...
Rob, I call this 'life'. :)
 
robmiller said:
The rewards aren't proportionate to the amount of effort you put in—certainly above a certain point, anyway. You can work ten times harder than someone else, but you're not going to get a ten times higher mark: and so, for the lazy among us, it becomes tempting to find some equilibrium where you can get the highest mark possible for the lowest possible investment of work.
Click to expand...

Had this at school, in a History essay once.

I got the 2nd best mark in class, despite writing a very short essay and pretty much last minute, 1 mark behind the highest mark in class from a guy who wrote about 6 A4 pages as opposed to my single A4 page. Everyone else had also done multiple A4 at least.

All I did, (essay was about Henry 8th) was get all the needed dates and facts into that one single A4 side, rather than spend ages waffling.
 
Hxc said:
You are in all likelyhood correct! It's something I really need to change but I just can't seem to force myself, it's rather frustrating if I'm honest :/ Perhaps after A level is all done next year uni will kick me into shape :S
Click to expand...
I did the same thing as you, unfortunately though the repercussions kicked in at A level for me. Back on track now though with a new work ethic. :p
 
Hxc said:
You are in all likelyhood correct! It's something I really need to change but I just can't seem to force myself, it's rather frustrating if I'm honest :/ Perhaps after A level is all done next year uni will kick me into shape :S
Click to expand...

I wouldn't really worry about it - most people do relatively poorly in their first year at university compared to their full potential. It follows that most people have the correct mindset by the time their final year rolls around :)
 
Nitefly said:
I wouldn't really worry about it - most people do relatively poorly in their first year at university compared to their full potential. It follows that most people have the correct mindset by the time their final year rolls around :)
Click to expand...

I did best 1st year...and it doesn't count towards final grade. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom