Making University Life Manageable

2 Nov 2023

Hi, my name is Tadhg, and I’m doing my MA in Modernities in the School of English here in UCC. I’m also a Postgrad tutor here in the Skills Centre. The great thing about working here is that it’s student led, peer-to-peer learning, and the value of engaging with somebody who is right there in the trenches of academia with you is something not to be underestimated.

The biggest lesson I took away from my undergrad is that everything- no matter how daunting- can be broken down into manageable chunks. If you, like me, like everybody, have other commitments outside of university it can be difficult to keep on top of everything. I worked thirty hour weeks in second year; I was a manager in a shop, working full time in third year. I managed to complete my undergrad receiving a first class honours with no missed deadlines. But that’s not to say it was an easy process. Declining mental health and burnout are the two phrases I’d use to describe my undergrad, and I only really got the hang of things in my final semester. Here are some tips I’ve learned throughout my time at UCC, so you (hopefully!) won’t have to struggle as much as I did. 

Effective timetabling is a massive one. I constantly need a visual reminder of approaching deadlines, otherwise I will simply forget them. If you struggle with object permeance like me, something as simple as a page stuck to the fridge with all your deadlines on it can be useful. One year, I had a small white board that I could constantly update throughout the year as things change. No plan, however well thought out, survives contact with the real world, so the flexibility of that was great. Being quite visual in my learning, I had different colours for different modules, and it really made prioritising assignments and readings a lot easier. 

Building off of this, longer essays were often a struggle for me. I had other commitments, bills to pay, and even though we’re all guilty of staying up all night and spewing out an essay, often minutes before the deadline, it is not a healthy practice. This is where I began to develop that key skill of breaking things down into manageable chunks. Let’s stick with this essay example. Say I have an assignment with a 1.5k word count. Immediately I can knock away 300 words for the introduction and conclusion. With those remaining 1.2k words, we have three 400 word paragraphs, which, if we even knock out one every couple days, we are doing well better almost immediately. If we want to, we can even break down those main body paragraphs a little more. We start with a mini-thesis statement, basically a sentence stating what the paragraph is about, and end it with a conclusion or a link to our next paragraph. Just like that, 400 words becomes at most 320. Using a Point-Evidence-Analysis system, those 320 words become easier and easier to do, but for more a more comprehensive overview on this, be sure to avail of our workshops on assignment writing! 

Things can constantly be broken down into very, very manageable chunks that are more realistic in conjunction with our other commitments and our relaxing time. On its own, the prospect of a longer essay, or a report, or whatever it is you need to do for university, can seem extremely intimidating. It’s always best to simply take a day, step back, break it down into manageable chunks, and timetable accordingly from there. Above all else, know that learning is fun. Enjoy your time at university, get involved in a society, have a few pints with your friends, and make the most of your time.