August 5, 2022 (Updated April 3rd, 2024)
What To Learn Over The Summer: Guide For Students
Summer is here! After a year of studying, it’s understandable that many students spend their summers completely relaxing and zoning out. But, with just a small amount of work each week, you can use your summer to propel your grades forward for the next academic year. Surely that’s got to be worth a few days less on the beach, right?
There are loads of things you can do over the summer to spend the holiday usefully, and summer is important for students for this reason: getting ahead of the curve can make the whole year more manageable and enjoyable, keeping your stress at bay.
This article will help you study effectively over the summer and make the most of your holiday.. Read on to find out more!
How can I study effectively over the summer?
1) Keep your studies organised
One of the best ways to make the most out of your summer studying is to keep your work organised. There’s nothing worse than having to duplicate work or recreate revision sheets just because you’ve mislaid them or hidden them somewhere in your laptop folders. Creating a physical folder for your summer studying can be useful, or create a filing system within your laptop.
Make this easy to access. If it’s a physical folder, keep it somewhere in plain sight, on your desk, or in a bag if you’re going somewhere to study. If your work is digital, keep your folder on your desktop, or the app that you use for your notes as your homepage in your browser. If you use Ayoa, you could use a whiteboard to create a visual folder or homebase for your summer studies (like in this template!)
This seems like a simple step, but taking the time to get it done in a way that makes sense for your brain will pay off in the long run, and will help you get into the right frame of mind.
2) Have your study goals in mind
It’s also important to only do the work you need to be doing over the summer. Keeping your goals in mind, particularly what you’ll be doing in the next academic year, can go a long way in helping you boost your grades while still having enough time to fully enjoy your summer.
Create a summary mind map or list of the things you will need to know for next year. What exams are you sitting? What subjects will you be covering? What are your goals for the end of the year? What grades do you want to achieve in your exams? Keep these goals in mind when you are studying.
3) Create a designated summer study space
While it can be tempting to study in bed, or on your couch, or wherever you can, it’s helpful to create a designated space to study. This allows you to fully focus when you need to, and relax when you don’t need to be thinking about work. Plus, studying consistently in the same location will help your mind associate that location with deep focus, making it easier to get into a flow state with your work every time you study there.
Where this study space is, depends on you. For some people, a desk in their room is enough of a division, where they can have complete control over their environment and keep everything they need within arms reach. For others, it makes more sense to head out to a library or a cafe, and getting to this location can help reset your mind and prepare you for a hard morning study session.
As always, consistency is key, but if you find you’re getting bored after a few weeks, it’s ok to change things up to keep novelty and interest in studying. After all, you have the whole summer and the weather on your side, why not explore different places while you study to make it more enjoyable?
4) Build a schedule and stick to it
We have ALL been there. Creating the perfect schedule for revision, study, fitness, whatever. And then never looking at it again. It’s important that you create a schedule and routine for your studying over the summer, not only to improve your memory and recall, but also to make sure you’re making time for everything. For the best of both worlds, you need an efficient schedule that you stick to. Get comfortable with saying no to things that you don’t actually want to do, or suggesting alternative times if plans clash with when you were planning on studying.
You can also build flexibility into your schedule. Say, for instance, your friends usually meet on a Friday or a Saturday, but never usually both. Create two ‘study slots’ for each day, knowing that you can remove one if you have plans for either day.
It’s also useful to plan what you want to do in advance, or to cover similar topics on similar days, so that you can maintain focus and consistency over the summer, without having to think too much about what you’re going to be doing that day. This can also help you make clear progress over time, and ensure that you cover everything equally and don’t miss out on anything important.
5) Take care of yourself
Knowing when to power through and when to take a well needed break for yourself is vitally
important. Taking a break can even boost your grades by lowering your stress levels and giving your brain time to process vital information. Let yourself have fun in a way you want to, and when you feel ready again, open your books back up.
By proactively scheduling in your breaks and fun activities during your summer, you can avoid
burnout and make your studying more sustainable. It will give you something to look forward to,
and help you create a work & reward mindset. Staying fresh will help you get more done, a reward in itself that you’ll be able to look back proudly on when the new term finally begins.
Some final words
Summer is definitely a time to relax and have fun, but it can also be a useful period to study and refocus on your goals for the next academic year. By just putting in a few hours a week, you’ll be fast on your way to smashing your study goals.
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