New Term. New Habits.

How to leverage your strengths and establish new study habits

Are you experiencing academic challenges or have you experienced challenges in the past?

Do you feel a bit lost in your courses or confused about how you should approach learning at university?

Do you feel frustrated you put in the work but don’t see results?

Academic Skills instructors are here to guide you as you reflect on your strengths, understand your motivation, connect with campus supports, and identify study habits you can change.

Start by taking this short survey to reflect on your current habits, your strengths as a learner, and the skills and strategies you want to develop.

Develop a support network

University may require your independent learning, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone when things get tough. Don’t be afraid to reach out. It is important to ask questions when you are unsure about university processes or policies, need clarification on assignment expectations, or feel confused or frustrated by course materials. Research shows that students who are engaged in their learning are more likely to use university services and find academic success.

Talk to your friends and family about your classes, your learning, and your concerns. Let them know what you need: time to study, quiet space to focus, or encouragement when you experience challenges at school

Meet with Trent professionals for guidance and resources.

Connect with peer supports to see new perspectives and see you are not alone.

Think about Motivation

Leverage your strengths

We all have strengths: what are you good at? What do you enjoy? Consider trying a new writing or study strategy that draws on these qualities.

If you’re really creative,

  • Create mindmaps, illustrations, or diagrams to organize your thoughts for a paper or to create study notes.
  • Try writing an assignment first draft or a summary of class discussion as narrative or story.

If you like lists

  • List the specific tasks you need to complete for an assignment and estimate how much time you need for each step (e.g., plan research – 1 hr; find 3 articles – 1-1.5 hrs; read 3 articles – 3 hrs)
  • List major concepts or themes from a course and then list specific ideas and terms for each concept or theme

If you enjoy writing

  • Free-write for 10-20 minutes to analyze and narrow an essay topic
  • Write journal entries about course readings for review later
  • Write short summaries of lecture topics for weekly review

If you’re a good presenter

  • Plan out a paper or lab report like a presentation (use PowerPoint if you like making slides – then transfer to docs/word)
  • Talk about course concepts (in a study group, with a family member or friend, or record yourself) to study for exams

If you like research

  • Treat course readings like research – have a question you want to answer, search for key words, think about connections
  • Start your essays or labs with preliminary research to explore a topic; as you read, ask questions, think about connections, refine your topic, and take notes to use in your paper.

If you like listening to lectures and podcasts

  • Search for audio versions of books on your reading and research list, or use screen-reading technology for digital sources like PDF files and websites.
  • Video or audio record yourself as you study for exams – teach yourself a concept and then listen to it later.
  • To edit your writing, read your work aloud or use screen-reading technology – we can often hear grammatical errors before we can see them in writing.

Take first steps to new study habits

Change can start small. Choose one or two strategies to commit to and make them habits over a few weeks. It can be helpful to get encouragement and create accountability for your commitments, so communicate your intentions with a friend, family member, or Trent supporter (e.g., Academic Skills instructor, Academic Advisor, SAS Advisor, Counsellor, Peer Supporter, Rebound Guide, etc.)

Time management   

  • Treat school like a full-time job (40 hrs per week for 4-5 courses), but it doesn’t have to be 9-5! Use blocks of time (30 min to 2 or 3 hours) to complete tasks like reading, review, research, writing, etc.
  • Make weekly or daily plans to complete both regular course work, such as readings, review, labs, and quizzes, and major assignments. Use an agenda, calendar, or planning app.
  • Create a list of tasks for major assignments and plan out deadlines for each task or stage of work.
  • How to Manage your Time: advice, calendars, and planning tools

Organization

  • Check your Trent email and Blackboard daily for important messages from your course instructors. Consider creating folders for each course so your messages are organized and easy to find.
  • Review your course syllabi weekly to ensure you are up-to-date with assignments, quizzes, readings, and course content.
  • Label and store all digital files (notes, articles, etc.) in folders named for the course.

Course readings

Research and Writing          

Learning from feedback      

  • Take time to read and understand instructor feedback on your assignments. Meet with your TA or professor to ask questions for clarification on confusing points. Make a list of issues big (analysis, evidence) and small (grammar, formatting) to use as a checklist for future assignments.

Studying for Exams  

Challenge the Way You Think

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

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