Staying on top of your first-year workload 

Setting goals can create a sense of motivation to achieve the task at hand. This is something that has worked well for me. When I set out goals, I feel a certain sense of motivation to achieve the task at hand. Goal setting can be guided using the SMART goals template to ensure that your goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

A goal I would set as a first-year life sciences student was ensuring revision of class content was completed daily in addition to completing assignments and quizzes. This helped me keep up with a fast work pace and ensure that I did not fall behind on previous material. 

Holding yourself accountable can help you more effectively prioritize your goals and enrich your understanding of them. You can use accountability strategies to stay motivated and learn what study strategies work best for you. Accountability can be created through consistent scheduling as it establishes a routine. Some methods for holding yourself accountable can include:  

1. Participation in study groups: This can help reinforce your own learning through immediate feedback. I preferred studying in groups with friends in my first year. This can be an enjoyable and productive experience.
2. Having an accountability buddy: This can help you overcome the temptations to procrastinate. I had a friend be my study buddy and we would commit to testing each other on class material at the end of each week. This made studying for evaluations easier.

Setting a standing time to work with peers can keep you motivated. Connecting meetings with rewarding activities such as taking coffee breaks together can provide an incentive to stay on track and create a friendly work environment.  

Sometimes it might seem that there aren’t enough hours in a day to complete everything you need to get done or it can be difficult to visualize tasks. You must create a disciplined strategy for yourself if you want to achieve your academic goals.

Create a schedule to ensure that you are effectively utilizing your time. I would usually start off the week by listing out all the tasks I have to complete within the span of the week. This would allow me to visualize my goals and create a sufficient action plan. Your schedule will help you prepare well for challenging course exams, and it is an excellent habit to continuously develop and implement in your daily life.  

With many of the courses you take, you will find a surprising amount of overlap in the content that is presented to you and naturally we make connections. This helps consolidate information in a more meaningful way and you are likely to have a better grasp of the content when you are tested on it.  Take a moment at the end of the week to try to connect information across disciplines. 

• Can I apply what I learned in physics today to what I learned in chemistry last week? 
• Can I connect the information I am learning in my intro psychology course to what was taught in biology today? 

By connecting the information to your daily life, you will find overlap and think beyond what is taught in the classroom. It is always so interesting to see the things you are learning applied to your life beyond the classroom.