I know I say this on most posts, but where has the time gone? On Monday we head into week 5, when it only feels like we’re still in week 2!
I’m working on my assignments whenever possible, so much I’ve even had dreams about them… Weird, I know. This week I decided to talk you through my favourite tools or resources that I find essential in everyday uni life.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
If you have academic success sessions on your timetable, make sure you attend them! I’ve found it extremely helpful this semester, and everyone in my class (who regularly attends) agrees. We’re lucky at UCB to have a wonderful support network, including lecturers who give you that nudge of encouragement to hit your highest potential, and academic success is one of the ways in which they do so. Take my advice, don’t shrug it off! If you feel like you could do better in your studies – (and I think we can all strive to be the best of ourselves and aim higher) – go and attend at least one!
MDRS
This is always the first place I check out to find relevant sources – the reading list. You’d be surprised how many students aren’t even aware of the MDRS, but again, they are one of the most helpful places to start when doing your work. On your modules tab on UCB online, each subject will have their own reading list, and a lot of the time there are direct links to sources, so go check it out!
E-RESOURCES
E-resources is what I depend on! There are loads of links to choose from, and every UCB student should familiarise themselves with the links on there. You can find the link to e-resources from the library tab on the portal. Some of the ones I like to use the most are:
- Dawson books
- Mintel
- WARC
- The Economist
WEBSITES & APPS:
- RefME: If you haven’t already got the app – stop everything and do it now. Like right this second. If you find referencing tricky then this will be your new best friend! Create a project then simply scan the barcode on books or journals, copy the website link or manually input the source into RefME. It will automatically save your projects and you can simply copy and paste all your references into your list at the end, instead of searching for author names, publication dates etc. at the last minute.
- Time magazine: Reading Time was recommended to our class from one of our lecturers. It’s available in print copy in the library but I’ve been using the website to keep up to date with news.
- Ted Talks: I’m not entirely sure how to describe Ted, but I absolutely love it! They host conferences all over the world, where speakers give talks about ideas, creativity, the world etc. Speakers cover a variety of issues and ideas, and it’s just a great website to use. You can also find lots of Ted Talks on YouTube.
- Google Drive/ Drop box: I use both, dropbox for pictures and Drive for documents.
- Twitter: Twitter is my fave social media site, but lately I’ve been using it to keep up to date for what’s happening in the world – essential for a tourism assignment! Al Jazeerah and BBC News are the two I keep up with the most.
- Unidays or NUS: A girls got to eat in order to concentrate on studies, and both provide amazing discounts in shops and restaurants.
I find all of these essential to help me get the most out of what I’m learning and I hope you find some of these useful for your own studies. If you haven’t already started any assignments my best piece of advice is to do it now! I have another blog post about dealing with assignment stress, should you be feeling a little under pressure and need a bit of friendly advice.
Have a great week!
D x