Today University Students Need a Survival Guide to Achieve Harmony in Their Studies, Budgeting and Life
Posted by adminOct 29
Students are feeling the stress of going back to university mind mapping software can help them stay a step ahead.
The new term is about to begin, with the ever increasing costs and difficulties for students, stress levels can shoot sky high. University allows you to really focus efforts on learning, personal development and life management. It is often a student’s first taste of going it alone and a real opportunity to make your mark on the world.
Second year student in BSc Business Management at the University of Birmingham, Nick Dalby, gives us an insight into the trials and tribulations of achieving a university degree. From homesickness and stress to financial pressures and course deadlines, what advice and tools can be used to alleviate the problems?
His main concern when first going to university was about fitting in and coping with the work load, he didn’t know what to expect and wasn’t sure if it would work out. Planning is the key to successful integration within university life, noting down your list of essentials, priorities on arrival at the campus and goals for the first term. Just seeing it all more clearly helps lower stress levels and allows you to follow through on all those initial administrative chores.
Nick says “I soon discovered that unlike College, independent learning is an absolute priority at university, with limited tutorial time working in isolation is a must at times.”
Unfortunately this can make creativity difficult and students may find that they lose concentration or direction when working on projects. There have been students who have crumbled under this pressure. Stress can be a culprit for poor performance and illness the reward; leading to retakes and in some cases depression and in the worst cases, departure from university life.
He adds “To allow myself a more stress free university life, I got heavily into my preparation, albeit before a lecture or a night out!”
We all know that planning and note taking prior to an assignment is crucial in gaining a respectable mark, but many of us fall into the old trap of making linear notes that do not allow us to fully expand on our ideas. We can easily forget key points and fail to note the associations between many of our ideas, scrawled note taking makes it much more difficult to review and edit the thought process.
According to Nick using mind mapping software has been something of a revelation in times of difficulty, having been a keen user of the basic format, he has now found the Mindjet® MindManager® software to be of excellent help in his organisation and planning in preparation for his second year.
“I have been able to identify the areas of study in which I need to work more and how all of my course topics link together”. MindManager allows the individual to get a sense of the bigger picture.
Another burden which can be greatly helped by using mind mapping is financial worries. Visualising the reality of your budget constraints can be a wake up call for us all. Having it all recorded on a personalised map prevents any unpleasant surprises and informs you of your situation at the press of a button. With loan instalments tightly controlled and bank over draught facilities more difficult to come by, financial management is a more serious affair. Nick says, “I am able to monitor my weekly outgoings, I know when I can afford to go out and when I need to stay in and work, drinking water at the student union bar is never fun!”
University experience sets you up for life, this has never been truer with some of the key skills employers look for in their graduate trainee’s listed as time management and prioritising abilities. Making the most of your time at university with the use of mind mapping will help you to develop and plan for your future career whilst maximising your potential of achieving the best degree possible. Giving an overall view of student life (work and play) mind mapping creates a visual plan which can be easily updated and adapted to fit a hectic lifestyle.
Nick’s Top Survival Tips:
Create a support network, talk to everybody you meet at university and establish a friend pool.
Make use of the facilities; the library and computer room are there to be used, not just walked past.
Be clever with your money; always look out for student discounts and special offers.
Most importantly enjoy yourself, ask lots of questions in lectures and join as many clubs, activities as you’re interested in.
Mindjet MindManager:
At its simplest, Mindjet MindManager software allows you to produce maps which represent complex information in an organised, easy-to-understand visual format. They help to engage and align people to work smarter, think creatively and save time by visually capturing, organising and communicating ideas and information effectively. MindManager maps help you to quickly develop ideas, capture complex issues, inspire creativity and identify next steps. With a simple graphical user interface, users can immediately begin to see beneficial gains from brainstorming ideas and improving communication. MindManager software enhances the quality of strategic thinking, accelerates project and process planning and increases productivity.
Contact:
Katie Breeze
VP Communications
Katie@vp-pr.com
+44 (0)208 964 0260
Image and mind map available on request
The new term is about to begin, with the ever increasing costs and difficulties for students, stress levels can shoot sky high. University allows you to really focus efforts on learning, personal development and life management. It is often a student’s first taste of going it alone and a real opportunity to make your mark on the world.
Second year student in BSc Business Management at the University of Birmingham, Nick Dalby, gives us an insight into the trials and tribulations of achieving a university degree. From homesickness and stress to financial pressures and course deadlines, what advice and tools can be used to alleviate the problems?
His main concern when first going to university was about fitting in and coping with the work load, he didn’t know what to expect and wasn’t sure if it would work out. Planning is the key to successful integration within university life, noting down your list of essentials, priorities on arrival at the campus and goals for the first term. Just seeing it all more clearly helps lower stress levels and allows you to follow through on all those initial administrative chores.
Nick says “I soon discovered that unlike College, independent learning is an absolute priority at university, with limited tutorial time working in isolation is a must at times.”
Unfortunately this can make creativity difficult and students may find that they lose concentration or direction when working on projects. There have been students who have crumbled under this pressure. Stress can be a culprit for poor performance and illness the reward; leading to retakes and in some cases depression and in the worst cases, departure from university life.
He adds “To allow myself a more stress free university life, I got heavily into my preparation, albeit before a lecture or a night out!”
We all know that planning and note taking prior to an assignment is crucial in gaining a respectable mark, but many of us fall into the old trap of making linear notes that do not allow us to fully expand on our ideas. We can easily forget key points and fail to note the associations between many of our ideas, scrawled note taking makes it much more difficult to review and edit the thought process.
According to Nick using mind mapping software has been something of a revelation in times of difficulty, having been a keen user of the basic format, he has now found the Mindjet® MindManager® software to be of excellent help in his organisation and planning in preparation for his second year.
“I have been able to identify the areas of study in which I need to work more and how all of my course topics link together”. MindManager allows the individual to get a sense of the bigger picture.
Another burden which can be greatly helped by using mind mapping is financial worries. Visualising the reality of your budget constraints can be a wake up call for us all. Having it all recorded on a personalised map prevents any unpleasant surprises and informs you of your situation at the press of a button. With loan instalments tightly controlled and bank over draught facilities more difficult to come by, financial management is a more serious affair. Nick says, “I am able to monitor my weekly outgoings, I know when I can afford to go out and when I need to stay in and work, drinking water at the student union bar is never fun!”
University experience sets you up for life, this has never been truer with some of the key skills employers look for in their graduate trainee’s listed as time management and prioritising abilities. Making the most of your time at university with the use of mind mapping will help you to develop and plan for your future career whilst maximising your potential of achieving the best degree possible. Giving an overall view of student life (work and play) mind mapping creates a visual plan which can be easily updated and adapted to fit a hectic lifestyle.
Nick’s Top Survival Tips:
Create a support network, talk to everybody you meet at university and establish a friend pool.
Make use of the facilities; the library and computer room are there to be used, not just walked past.
Be clever with your money; always look out for student discounts and special offers.
Most importantly enjoy yourself, ask lots of questions in lectures and join as many clubs, activities as you’re interested in.
Mindjet MindManager:
At its simplest, Mindjet MindManager software allows you to produce maps which represent complex information in an organised, easy-to-understand visual format. They help to engage and align people to work smarter, think creatively and save time by visually capturing, organising and communicating ideas and information effectively. MindManager maps help you to quickly develop ideas, capture complex issues, inspire creativity and identify next steps. With a simple graphical user interface, users can immediately begin to see beneficial gains from brainstorming ideas and improving communication. MindManager software enhances the quality of strategic thinking, accelerates project and process planning and increases productivity.
Contact:
Katie Breeze
VP Communications
Katie@vp-pr.com
+44 (0)208 964 0260
Image and mind map available on request
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