To-Do List to Make Study at HSE Comfortable
The most common thing that appears in the heads of all the students is the phrase “I cannot deal with it”. It is not due to the lack of our abilities or unwillingness to do different tasks for study. It is just because of feeling ourselves not in “our cup of tea”.
The sense of comfort is very necessary and useful for study at university, as the auspiciousness provides the high level of productivity and creativity. There are several simple advices how to turn convenience to your side in Higher School of Economics:
Browse The Site
You should observe main sources of information, such as web page of your campus, your educational program and the students handbook (“Pochemuchnik”) with answers to frequently asked questions. There you will find a brief description of such things as a schedule, grading system and modules, study office, ratings, scholarship, etc. This is exactly what every freshman needs.
Manage Your Time
The most difficult and important point is time management, including stress management too. It gives us the emotional balance, ability to plan and be well disciplined and self-organized. In every case, skill to control your time can bring less mistakes and more free time, which people can spend on themselves.
In HSE, there are many deadlines. Failure to observe them may adversely affect academic performance. To avoid it, I suggest using some widespread techniques of managing the time:
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“Tomato” technique. You should make a plan (to-do list). Then, set the timer for 25 minutes. Try to exclude interruptions and work in a calm atmosphere. Then, take a break for about 5 minutes. During that period it is better to do physical activities, for example, tilts forward and to the sides. You need to do four such “rounds” and then take a break for 15-30 minutes. This approach will help you to understand your “Time Eaters” and bring you a feeling of the time. It will be helpful both for preparation for seminars and passing the examination.
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Another popular system is Eisenhower Decision Matrix. There you should write tasks that are “urgent-important”, “urgent-not important”, “not urgent- important” and “not urgent-not important”. The last category must be deleted from your life. For instance, uploading a file before the deadline is urgent and important, while observing the syllabus of the fourth year is not urgent and not important, if you are at the second right now.
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The most elementary is Bullet Journal. This system uses special symbols for marking things written in the plan. This helps to organize your day; week or month and the usage of special letters will also save your time.
Use different time management systems to manage your time effectively (pay special attention to diverse deadlines).
Check Inbox
One of the crucial aspects in HSE students’ life is e-mail. We have three main mailboxes: corporate (outlook), LMS (Leaning Management System) and usually course/group. It is important to check them often, as the whole process of your study depends on them. Imagine that you forgot to review them. Tomorrow you will have a seminar based on the text from LMS. We can predict certainly that your marks will be lower, as you did not read materials.
"Find Your Tribe"
This metaphor means to understand your personal interest and possibilities and trace the activities, which will influence the development of skills and abilities, and people, who will share them with you. Consider, for example, a person who cannot live without self-realization, upholding of his position, and, what is more, wants to receive drive and energy. The HSE Debate Club will be his “tribe”.
Fight with Yourself
Try to fight with yourself every day. Many students afraid to show the real themselves, as they do not want to become ridiculous in the eyes of others. They bury their creative ideas. The main thing can do is to overcome yourself. HSE provides all kinds of resources to realize your goals. The rest is your desire and your “struggle with yourself”.
Establish Contact with Your Professors
It is the crucial point. You should brand yourself from the first time. The prof will keep you in mind and that can increase your productivity. First of all, the teacher knows your name, knows your abilities and way of thinking. It is a person who can help you to find something interesting in HSE. Moreover, he/she may stimulate and help you with term papers and more.
I hope that all of these advices will be useful to students of all HSE programs and could make the study process comfortable and fascinating. The most crucial thing is to be motivated and well organized. It’s up to you!
Text by
Valeriia Pivovarova