A primary reason for entering the university is to undertake a course or courses of study that you believe will be of value to you.
The university helps you to achieve your academic objectives by providing specialists to help you, namely professors, lecturers and tutors. They offer you courses of lectures, tutorials and practicals, and assist/test your academic skills and your understanding of the subject matter by means of assignments and examinations. In some cases they require you to lead discussions and give seminars on selected topics.
Lectures
These are a mine of organised information. Lectures should be diligently attended, never lightly missed. Your lecturers have to put in a lot of work in order to distill what they give you from masses of material and present it meaningfully to you. If you have to do such work yourself, it will you take a long, long time and you will probably never cover the same ground in the same way.
Lectures are designed to give you the basics upon which you have to build. This means work on your part. Reading of text books, reference books and journal articles and related material that you may glean from the internet.
Lectures should not be 'cut', although there are some 'smart' students who prefer to go their own social or sporting way and come to grief.
Assignments
Assignments are only a part of your work. If you make these the sole building blocks of your tertiary education the edifice you construct will be very draughty. Make sure that you study other aspects of your lecture material, with some specialisation on your part if you wish.
Notes
Make sure you copy down notes. Do not smugly entrust what you hear in the lecture room to memory alone. You will forget about 80% of it within a couple of days. Memory is also a notorious deceiver.
When you make notes, do not take them down as dictation, line by line. Rather, analyse what is being said, and using loose leaf paper try to put the salient ideas /details down legibly and, if possible, as a diagram-summary. Clusters of words linked to the next set of ideas by means of lines, arrows, etc. This makes it easy to absorb, revise, modify and enhance your work from further reading.
Do not depend on other students' notes. Many miss important points, and not infrequently get garbled ideas down on paper. If you use such notes, you take in their errors too. Not a bright thing to do.
Use of the Library
It is there for you. Use it. Frequent it. Try supplementing your lecture materials by reading (recommended) journal articles.
Use of your Time
Time is a precious commodity. You are responsible for using it well. Takes self-discipline on your part, and how to say 'No' when distractions and lures of various kinds come your way as they surely will do.
Some students spend a lot of time going through the motions of getting ready to study, 'pussy-footing' around with computer programmes and hardware, downloading or photocopying reams of material which they will not read, tidying their desk and bookshelves, listening to music as they study. Then they feel tired and have to have a break ..........
Draw up a time-table for yourself, allowing time for non-academic interests. Stick with it as far as possible, and if you don't, get back to it as soon as possible. It is amazing how much one can really accomplish in a day!
It is most important to work consistently, not in spurts. Beware of putting off serious study until late in the semester. You will never catch up.
If you feel mentally tired on account of your work, get some rest, relaxation and if possible some fresh air.
TUIT
This is my gift to you. It is a tuit. Please write the word down on a large piece of paper or card in bold letters, preferably in a vivid colour.
Whenever you feel tired, 'cheesed off', wish to give up, pick up that piece of paper and say, "I've got a TUIT". Say this three times. Look into the mirror. Smile. Say it three times again, and say in a loud voice, "I can and I shall TUIT.
My best wishes are with you!