Many skills and attributes are important to be successful in academic study, but some are more profound than others. I believe some of the main ones are organisation, time management, reading skills, note taking ability and good communication skills.

Organisation is definitely up there with the most important. I feel more at ease when all my noes have been taken down neatly and are put away in order in a folder. This makes it so much easier to look back over them, making studying less hassle.

Time management is also very important. The ability to manage your time can literally be life or death when it comes to getting things done. There are only so many hours in a week and you need to make sure you can make all your lectures and tutorials, make time for extra reading, save time for studying, whilst still looking after yourself and having a life outside of study. You also need to make sure you know how long you have until assignments are due, so you don’t end up running around at the last minute.

Without the ability to read university would be almost impossible. Saying this, you need to make sure you are taking in what you are reading, and also that you are reading relevant materials.

Note taking is definitely important when it comes to lectures. I believe by taking notes we are not only taking in what is being said, but we are recording it too. This is beneficial when it comes to reflecting on what was brought up in lectures, as having what was discussed in front of you saves so much time remembering. it is also useful when it comes to revision, as these can then form part of your reading materials.

Lastly I feel the ability to communicate well is definitely important for academic study. Especially on a course such as education where we are learning to work within a profession, we need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively from early on. This is also helpful when it comes to studying in groups, as it aids discussing making it so much easier.

By combining all of these factors, and using them in the hope they develop over the course of our study we are driving ourselves to become better learners.