Jade - Week at a glance

I usually have classes three to four days a week, each semester is different but I always start my week by doing the reading for my earlier classes. Being an English literature student, I spend the majority of my week reading, I make my notes in the books as I go along. Any additional articles that I’m required to read are done alongside the main reading, I make separate notes for any pre-reading I do. Generally, if PowerPoints are being used, they are put up the day before so I will take notes from these so I know what to expect in my upcoming lectures.

When in classes I make my notes as I go, after classes I go to the library and type-up my notes from prior to class and in-class to combine everything. I also make use of the library whilst there, and do wider reading around my previous class so that I clear up any confusion and help inform the module as a whole. This step also helps when it comes to assessments, any wider reading I do around that text is potentially something I can use in my assessments or exams. I also meet with friends from my course a few times a week to talk about our classes, this also helps if you haven’t quite grasped a concept, as they can help!

A few weeks into each module, the assessments start to come out, so my week starts to be built around assessment research, planning and writing. This is where the wider reading I do during the module at the beginning can start to come into play. Once I know what question(s) I’ll be answering I can refer back to reading I have already done and made notes on. Quite often this will save me time researching as I’ve already done a portion of it in advance!

Once I’ve started writing my assessments, I go to the centre for academic writing, with sections of my essay, this is a great help and has helped to improve the quality of my essays massively. They’re open to any student new or returning so I do recommend seeing them! This isn’t a weekly thing but definitely becomes part of my routine once the semester is underway!

I also make sure that that I leave plenty of time for relaxing and socialising, this is such a major aspect of my week. I go to the gym, meet up with my friends and watch my favourite TV shows and films. It is all about balance!