Adults returning to school take the first step toward a better job and higher earnings. It’s natural to feel mixed emotions during such a significant transition. You might be eager to learn, anxious about the future, or worried about juggling your many roles as you pursue your education. HelpForHomework provides you with Top Five Study Tips for Adult Learners to help you through your studies.
Strong study skills are vital for student success. Master these techniques so you can excel in school, work, and life while you’re balancing all three.
Why am I going back to school? This is a question you should ask yourself when you decide to pursue your career. The idea of earning more or promotion may not be enough of an incentive to keep you going when it gets tricky. Write down a list of your deepest motivations. Do you want to inspire your kids? Grow at your company? Change the world? Want a better and well-paying job? The longer the list, the better, as you have enough reasons to motivate you when the going gets tough.
You could also write a list of things you are trying to escape or hate. Do you hate your current job and want to change it? Do you hate how your assignments make you feel? Are you growing or just stagnant since you started?
Doing that and writing down your goals and sticking to them help you go a long way in pursuing your dream career.
One of the biggest challenges adult learners face is finding time to juggle all their duties. As an adult, you balance many things at once; your job, family, and school. The best way to navigate this obstacle is to set time for everything. Create a schedule and stick to it.
Start by evaluating how much time a course takes. Taking classes online, for example, eliminates commute times and lets you fit the study time into your schedule rather than the other way around. When mapping out your class commitments, budget time for attending or watching lectures and different types of lessons online, completing readings, researching projects, and writing papers or assignments. Breaking your work into individual components makes it easier to get it all done
Whether you’re attending school in the classroom or online on your own time, commit to focusing during the time you’re dedicating to your lessons. Keep your attention on your professor during lectures or live chats and take notes. Save precise time for studying and research when you won’t be interrupted.
Don’t limit your study resources to just your class textbook or reading list. Many supporting materials are available to help you digest and understand what you’re studying.
Working through complex material can be tedious and stressful. So please don’t do it alone! Talking to your classmates about the school can help you dig deeper and see things from different perspectives. You may find that your peers can explain things in a way the textbook or a lecturer can’t while making it enjoyable.
Don’t stay quiet in class. Make the most of it by:
Procrastination is one of the biggest reasons that students struggle in college. In some cases, this behavior relates to time management issues. However, it’s related to anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, or not knowing where to begin in other cases. Make it a priority to know deadlines for projects and other course milestones. If you find yourself struggling or you’re unsure where to start, seek help early on. Use your calendar to remind yourself about upcoming deadlines, and consider connecting with another student as an accountability partner. Create a support structure that makes it difficult to procrastinate.
Readjusting to academic life as an adult learner can be a challenge, but a bit of planning can help you overcome any obstacle and get on the road to success.
Also check out the essential study skills for college students.