Managing Summer Studies

Joanita Wibowo

School is out for everyone this summer – but some students might be cautious to enjoy their three-month holiday, for the final HSC year is nearing. Students might find it difficult to stay on top of their studies, and they might also have dilemmas whether to enjoy the holiday season or get a head start and avoid falling behind in study preparation for the coming year.

Here are some tips to manage your studies throughout the holidays:

Manage your time
Making a weekly study planner is a good idea to outline how much time you want to spend studying, especially when combined with other commitments (such as work and social life). This could be personalised according to your availability, the times and conditions in which you can study most effectively (morning/night, self-study/group study, at library/home).

Organise your studying materials
Collect all your notes and textbooks, and pinpoint the most important aspects of each chapter/course. You might not need to learn the details to a fully comprehensive extent in the holidays, but figuring out the main ideas and concepts of each subject makes it easier for you to catch up when the semester begins next year.

Make priorities
Which courses do you have difficulty in learning? What chapters are giving you a hard time? Make sure you are allocating more time to tackle the difficult parts in the beginning, so that the rest of your studying journey gets easier. Building moderate study goals, such as ‘finishing this chapter’ or ‘working on this exercise’ by a deadline could also keep you on track and motivate you to achieve more.

Don’t forget to take a break
It is important to maintain balance between work and play, especially during the summer holidays. Short periods of studying with sufficient breaks in between could help you to digest the content of the course part by part without overwhelming yourself.

Maintain your health
Spending your summer break in sickness is no fun, especially when you need to stay productive. Other than taking some breaks, remember to eat nutritious food, get enough sleep and exercise as well as enjoy yourself with recreational activities – after all, it is still the holidays.

Join a study course/camp
When you are unsure about studying independently, participating in extra courses might be a good idea. These courses could help you develop your study methods and strategies for the most optimum HSC achievements.

Interested? Some summer study course options are listed below:

CRU Camps
Galston Gorge Conference and Recreation Centre, 8 Crusader Rd, Galston, NSW 2159
18 – 22 January 2016: $525