Gareth Hughesis the Clinical Lead for Student Space and is a psychotherapist, researcher and writer on student wellbeing, including the book Be Well, Learn Well
Taking time to review how things are going can help you to take control of your experience at uni and get the most out of being a student.
Student life is generally a mix of ups and downs, good and not so good. Taking time to review your experience can help to give you a better understanding of what you’ve gained so far and can help you take control of the next stage of your time at uni.
Generally, we are at our best when we can get an appropriate balance in our lives. This doesn’t mean trying to do everything perfectly and in any case at different times of the year a different balance may be necessary – during exam periods, for instance. But making small improvements to get a better balance between work, study, fun, rest and looking after yourself, can usually help you feel better and get the most out of being a student.
You may want to think about student life in four areas:
Social life
Feeling socially connected to others is really important to our wellbeing – as is having some time to yourself to rest, reflect and enjoy your own space.
The right social balance will be different for different people. Think about how your current social activity makes you feel and whether it is helping you. Take time to consider:
How much time are you spending alone and with others? Does this feel right to you or would you like it to change?
What do you spend your time doing? We benefit from a mix of activities in our day and having time to rest. What’s the balance in your life between working, chilling out, partying, hobbies, doing things with others etc.?
Do you have the right number of people in your life? Remember, it’s never too late to make friends at uni – social groups keep moving around and people are usually happy to make a new friend. If there are too many people taking up your time, it’s ok to reduce this and to prioritise what you need.
Do you need some more fun? This is important, we need to have pleasure in our lives. But we equally need to be careful not to overdo it.
If your social life is impacting on your physical health or academic learning, then you may need to find a healthier balance. If you do want to do this, it can help to recruit friends to support this change. You may even find that some of your friends also want to slow down and you can support each other with this.
If, for any reason, you are concerned about your social life, remember support is available to help you with this.
Find support services provided by your place of study
Physical
Our physical wellbeing influences how we feel and our ability to learn and perform academically. The basics really do matter – think about any small improvements you might be able to make to improve your physical health overall. It may help to consider:
Most students will experience late nights. Whether out at clubs, or studying long hours, sleep deprivation among students is common and not particularly problematic in small bouts. It does, though, become a serious problem when you are too tired to concentrate, too restless to read, or too disassociated to listen to your teacher.
It can benefit your learning and enjoyment of your studies, if you regularly review how they’re going. Think about what you have learned so far – it might help to think about what you knew when you first arrived at uni and what you’ve learnt since. You may be surprised by just how much your knowledge and understanding has grown.
Then take time to consider where you might wish to develop further. Are there areas you understand less well or could do with building your knowledge more? Your personal tutor, study skills advisor or subject librarian may be able to help you.
You may also wish to review the ways in which you study. Very often students tend to find one way and stick with it – even though it may not be the most helpful. For example, research shows that re-reading notes is an ineffective revision strategy, yet it is one that many students use as their main way of revising. Experiment with some different ways of studying – try different places, working by yourself and with others and using evidence based strategies such as testing yourself.
Psychological
How are you feeling? When do you feel at your best? Which experiences of your time at uni have been good? Thinking about these things can help you find clues to what activities can help you maintain a better mood.
If things haven’t been good yet, that’s ok and it doesn’t mean you will continue to feel this way. Many students find that accessing support from their university can really help to improve things. Or you may want to talk to family, friends or your GP. You can also find advice on this site. If you aren’t feeling good, try to be kind to yourself and use the support available to you.
However your time at uni has gone so far, there will be steps you can take to help you make the most of the rest of your time as a student.
