These are considered the 10 Common Study Skills Mistakes that students make…

1. Poor Attendance
This may be the most common student mistake– and the most unavoidable. If you want to succeed in varsity, you need to be in class all or most of the time. Really – there’s no way around that.
2. Poor Note taking Skills
Unfortunately, many students come to varsity without having mastered this skill. Most of the time, lectures are straight forward and to the point. To succeed in class, you need to learn how to listen …

There’s no doubt about it, for students – some of classes are so mind-numbingly boring that it’s painful. Students have always been bored, But – there’s a big difference between the bored students of yesteryear and the Gen Y students of today.
These days, the number of technologically-advanced and tempting ways that students can ignore their academic obligations has skyrocketed!  If you’re going to succeed in your studies, you need to learn how to resist temptation and pay attention. Well unless you plan to pull an all-night study session every time …

Exam time is one of the most stressful times in varsity. Yes – even the best students feel the pressure!
Here are a few steps and tips to help you survive exam stress and increase your overall performance:
1.    Create a schedule based on your exam timetable. Your plan should include plenty of time for studying, regular breaks and solid sleep time. Even if you don’t stick to the plan, it helps you organize your approach.
2.    Think positive. An exam crucial to your final grade increases stress levels. Adopt an “I can …

So it’s crunch time! Meeting study deadlines can sometimes seem overwhelming. Managing your time may help you to be more organised and meet the deadlines you have.
Here are some suggestions for maximising the time you have available:
Set goals – It’s a good idea to think about what you need and want to do with your time. From this you can set your goals, which may help you to manage your time more effectively.
Use a diary – Writing down appointments, or things you have to do may help you to keep …

The mind is an amazing thing. The fact that it has stored information that you’ve gathered over a minimum of 12 years (grade 1 to matric), and even though you don’t remember your grade 6 geography…the fact is that it’s there somewhere, waiting to be retrieved.
Fortunately, when you study for your exams in varsity, you’re not expected to retrieve information from a decade ago (applying it – maybe). There are many different methods of studying out there – but there’s one particular one that has worked for many, when executed …

Here’s some great tips on how to perform at your peak during your mid-year exams
By: Fay Humphries
The first step towards getting the job you want is getting the kind of marks that make potential employers sit up and notice you. Follow these simple suggestions and watch your results improve.
1. Start studying in time. Rather spend an hour and a half a day for a few weeks prior to your exams then try and cram six or seven hours of studying into your day just before the exams start.
2. Decide when it would …

Ah – the temptation…
Amongst the biggest temptations that students have to deal with on campus is that of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by undertaking illegal practices to guarantee a pass.
In a desperate attempt to salvage their marks, quite a number of students will bend over backwards, bend the rules and scrounge.

According to www.merlinhelpsstudents.com, cheating during an exam constitutes of the following acts:

Using a calculator in an exam for which use of a calculator is not allowed.
Bringing pieces of paper into the exam.
Writing on your hand or other …

Multiple choice exams in theory, should be a breeze…the answer is right in front of you…well, if you can decide on which one it is amongst the 5 choices you’re given!
The oldest myth about taking writing multiple choice exams is: when in doubt, chose C.
My advice: don’t even think about doing that!
Many people have learned their lesson the hard way – though negative marking on multiple choice exams. What happens in many universities is that in a multiple choice question you are awarded 3 marks for a correct answer, and …

Basic Conditions of Studying Act
I was going through the ‘Basic Conditions of Employment Act’ when I got an idea to put together a ‘Basic Conditions of Studying Act’. We need to start building this policy… so feel free to add your requirements! This is just the summerised version…
Who is this act for?
This act applies to every student on a South African campus. The act does not apply to boffins (they have an unfair advantage anyway)! It also excludes any student who has a family member employed by the university (because …