Ahead of the new University term, I have some study tips for you, these are ones Iβve used throughout my Philosophy degree but are also relevant at any level of study or work. Read on to find out moreβ¦
Forest
A classic, but it works. Forest is a study timing app. You set the amount of time you want to study for and it will count down while you put away your phone. You can use it to block apps that might distract you or simply to motivate you with a timer and rewards. The rewards for studying are growing trees, money to buy more trees and the opportunity to plant a real tree.
I find this app useful to keep track of how much work Iβve done each day and to work to a set time. I normally set it to 10/15 mins to get me motivated and then do 25/30 min slots once Iβve got going. There is a price that comes with this app on some app stores. This was something I weighed up for years but after exhausting the free version, I finally bought it. I have to say it is worth it! But you can always try a similar free version before you invest to see if it works for you.
My referral code for Forest: 3H9AJSGSG
- Download link
- Fav free version: Flora
- Second fav free version: FishCure
Highlight on Adobe Reader DC
Firstly, if you do a degree with LOTS of online readings, I would highly recommend downloading and opening up documents in Adobe Reader DC! It is a free downloadable app and once your reading is in, you can use the highlighting function on the text. Knowing this would have saved me so much time and extra effort as I used to highlight by hand a printed copy or copy and paste the key text into a word document. Now I just highlight the important texts, sometimes in a few different colours and add notes as I go along. I then simply open up the reading in the seminar or when I am writing an essay. Here is the link to download Adobe if you haven’t already got it installed – Adobe Reader DC
Grammarly
A fairly new discovery for me and to be honest the annoying adverts have put me off using Grammarly previously. However, I do have to say, especially in the last year, Grammarly has been so useful for my essays, blog work and job applications.
Grammarly has a fairly competent free version that checks for spelling, grammar and writing mistakes. Iβve found it picks up quite a lot for me that I wouldnβt have otherwise noticed. However itβs not perfect, especially for academic essays, it often tries to remove words that I think are necessary when explaining a philosophical argument.
I ended up investing in Grammarly premium for the final few months of my degree. Controversial, I know, some would say a waste of money, others a lifesaver. I felt it was worth it for the last bit of my degree and for job applications where spelling and grammar is SO important. Itβs proven very useful recently when cutting down to a word limit at it restructures your sentences for you, saving time. At the moment, I think the premium is very good, but it is pricey and the free version does suffice.
Tip: often when you set up your first Grammarly account within a few days they will email you a 50% of discount for premium.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Feel free to comment below any study tips you have. Check out my insta here and subscribe to my blog below x
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