Category: Revision

Missing lectures can have a significant impact on a student’s academic progress. Lectures provide vital information and explanations for coursework and exams, and missing them can lead to a knowledge gap that can be difficult to fill. However, students may be skipping lectures for various reasons, including illness, work obligations, or personal issues. If you find yourself in this situation, there are several steps you can take to catch up and stay on track with your studies.

Communicate with professor

The first and most crucial step is to communicate with your professor or lecturer. They can provide you with a recording of the lecture or allow you to attend a makeup class, so it’s important to be honest with them about why you missed the lecture and express your willingness to make up the missed work. Being proactive in communicating with your instructors can also show them that you are committed to your education and eager to learn.

Gather lecture notes

Another useful strategy is to obtain lecture notes or handouts from a classmate or online resources provided by your professors. These materials can give you a rough idea of what was covered in the lecture and help you understand the material better. Some professors also upload lecture slides or have lecture notes on the learning management system, which can be accessed online.

Use course material

If you are unable to obtain lecture notes or materials, you can read the textbook or other materials related to the topic covered in the lecture. This may not be as effective as attending the lecture, but it can still give you a good understanding of the material. Additionally, you can reach out to other students or join a study group to obtain additional information or explanations about the material covered in the lecture or share notes with you.

Staying on top of coursework and assignments, even if you’ve skipped lectures, is also crucial. It can help you stay engaged with the material and make it easier to catch up when you return to class. This can include creating a study schedule, taking notes, summarizing the material, practicing, testing yourself, and breaking down your study sessions to maximize the effectiveness of your study time.

Organise catch-up meetings

Furthermore, taking responsibility for one’s own education and being proactive in catching up on missed lectures is essential. This may involve meeting with the instructor, attending office hours, or using online resources to supplement one’s understanding of the material. Additionally, forming a study group or finding a tutor can be helpful in understanding the material.

It’s also essential for students who have been skipping lectures to communicate with their instructors and seek extra help on how to pass. Instructors and teaching assistants want to see students succeed and may be able to provide additional support or accommodations to help you pass.

Stay Determined

Finally, students should keep in mind that missing lectures is not a death sentence, and with determination and hard work, they can still pass their course. They should not give up, even if they have missed a considerable amount of classes, but keep in mind that they need to put in extra effort to catch up.

In conclusion, missing lectures can be a setback, but it’s not impossible to overcome. By communicating with your professors, obtaining lecture notes or materials, reaching out to classmates and other students, and staying on top of coursework, you can make up for missed lectures and pass your course. It’s important to take responsibility for your own education, manage time efficiently, communicate with instructors, seek extra help if needed, and remain determined to find the best strategies on how to pass exams.

Student life is BUSY. You’re working, doing activities, socialising, and remembering to feed and clean yourself… It makes sense that time management for students can go out the window. It also might be the first time you’ve been left to your own devices for a lot of the day. Gone is the structure of school, replaced with overlapping deadlines and long library hours.

One of the best reasons to use Proprep is to up your time management game. When I was a student, I always started the university term determined to stay on top of things. However, I would get more and more behind as the weeks went on. I was like a duck: calm on the surface, but paddling like crazy to stay afloat behind the scenes. If this sounds familiar, here’s how to work on changing your routine for the better.

The importance of time management for students

Good time management helps students to prioritise their tasks and submit assignments on time. Students can plan, set aside the time they need to complete work, and make better use of the rest of their time.

It might feel like some people are naturally good at using their time, but this isn’t the case. Time management is an organisational process that enables you to plan effectively, and anyone can learn to do it. Excellent time management skills will allow you to work more productively. You can then get more done with less stress, especially when pressure is high. Follow our top tips to start managing your time better today!

1. Prioritise your tasks

The key to time management for students is creating a to-do list. Identify what you need to do, then prioritise tasks based on the dates your assignments are due and the amount of time you’ll need. You can base your schedule for the day and week around what needs to get done first. If you’ve got some flexibility, start with what you most feel like doing. Hopefully the momentum will carry you through the rest of your list!

2. Break big tasks down

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by large tasks like ‘Start Chemistry revision’, and the anxiety can make you want to procrastinate. Start with shorter, simpler to-do items and then move on to larger projects or assignments. You can break these down into manageable chunks too. Rather than ‘Revise’, try and get through ‘Chapter 1 Notes’, ‘Chapter 1 Practice Exercises’, and so on.

3. Make a schedule that works for you

Some people like to divide their time and assign different tasks to each chunk; some people like to stay at one until it’s done. When I was at uni, I got bored if I spent too long on one thing, so I changed it up every hour. Even though overall assignments took me longer, I was able to be stay more productive all day. Try a few different ways until you figure out what kind of time management works for you.

Different people work better at different times of the day. If you know you’re a night owl, take it easy in the morning and get back to work after supper. I knew this would exhaust me though, so I preferred to get to the library early and try to leave by 6pm.

Whatever you choose, make sure you put enough breaks throughout the day to keep you sane and avoid burnout. Many people like the pomodoro technique, which consists of working for 25 minutes before breaking for five, with a longer break every four cycles. Once you’ve committed to a plan, stick to it!

4. Remove distractions

A University of London study showed that those who multitask see a drop in IQ similar to someone who didn’t sleep the night before. If you’re trying to juggle doing multiple things at once, you’ll almost always end up less productive. Get real with yourself about what might be distracting you. Are you spending too much time checking Instagram or TikTok? Even if you’re online for a productive purpose like Studygram, try and stay in the zone while you’re working. Can you turn social media breaks into rewards for crossing something off your list?

5. Treat yoself!

Speaking of rewards, positively reinforcing the work you do will help you keep working for longer. Use your breaks to check the apps you’ve been avoiding, catch up with a friend, or spend time outside to feel refreshed. Pick something you’re looking forward to each week to use as motivation to accomplish your goals. For example, when I’ve finished three practice papers, I’ll watch the new James Bond film.

If you’re struggling to relax during your downtime, give your mind a rest through meditation or yoga.

6. Build a good routine

After a couple of weeks of sticking to your time management schedule, hopefully you’ll build up good momentum and feel more in routine. An important part of this is also taking care of yourself: getting enough sleep, nutritious food, fresh air, and movement. Try and give yourself early nights when you can. These are especially important if you know you have a busy few days ahead, or you’re always late for the same lecture.

Your thoughts on time management for students

Have you tried any of our tips and found them helpful? What’s your best time management advice? Let us know in the comments!

Studying mathematics effectively at an undergraduate level is often about finding new ways to study. It can take time, for instance, learning how to take the right notes and how to pace yourself when working alone. If you are keen to find more effective ways to study, we can help. Here are five ways to master your maths study needs.

1. Ensure you understand one topic before moving to another.

It might sound obvious but in a maths degree, you cannot afford any knowledge gaps, so make sure you understand one topic before moving on to another. A good habit to get into is to review your lecture notes immediately after every lecture. This way, you can make sure you understand the main ideas and flesh out the details where you need to. If you then don’t understand anything, seek out the help of the lecturer, or bring it up in your tutorials. It’s the best way to learn and make sure you don’t fall behind.

2. Take lecture notes properly. 

It also pays to take notes in the right way. Unlike school, you do not need to write down every word, but you do need to understand what a lecturer is saying. Some top tips to get you started: 

• Take notes in a way that makes sense to you. Whether it’s in diagram form, with examples or leaving gaps for you to fill in with independent work, at a later date.
• Try to make your notes as complete and as accurate as possible so they are valuable but keep them brief enough so that you can still listen to what is being said.
• Be prepared for varied lecturing styles from lecturers; not all will use a whiteboard or equation examples when explaining topics.
• Annotate all lecture hand-outs as you are given them, to correlate with your notes, so you can see where they slot in.
• Organise your notes under topics; this will help for practice and revision.

3. Work with your peers.

Working with peers can help with understanding and theorising as well as with your revision. Peers can also provide enlightening insight and crucial ideas but try not to rely on them for solutions. The best peer group work happens via collaboration and support. To ensure this works for you, choose like-minded friends to work with, who have the same goals and work patterns as you.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice.

Mathematics is all about problem-solving, and the only way to test your understanding is to work through problem sets and keep practising. It is impossible to study maths by just reading and listening so make sure you put in the required independent work too. If you are having difficulties with mathematical proof and analysis (common amongst first-year students as it’s so different from A-level maths), seek help either from your professors or an independent tutor. 

5. Give Proprep a try.

As the key to taking maths at university is to get plenty of practice, Proprep can really help you here. Our video tutorials not only match your syllabus and textbooks but also take you step-by-step through each problem and solution for all of your course’s topics. 

This enables you to practice at your own speed and master any topic area in three steps: 

• Watch the video tutorials.
• Solve practice problems.
• Then watch the video solutions to check your work.

It’s an ideal way to master complex problem sets when you are working on your own and will give you insight into new areas you haven’t come across before. Also in response to the outbreak of Covid19, we have now opened up all our customised learning resources for free to all students until the end of the academic year. All you need to set up your account is an email address, no credit card details required, which you can do by clicking here.