Not passed? Tips to organise your summer

1. Selection course units

Do you have to retake more than 5 course units? Make an appointment with your student counsellor to see how many and which courses you can best take exams for.

2. Planning

Your final exam schedule for the resit examination period will be available through oasis.ugent.be on 13 July at the latest.
When you have decided how many exams you want to take, make a rough estimate of the total number of days you will need to study those courses again. Calculate when the study period starts for you.
Take some time off to recharge your batteries. This is always necessary, even if you want to retake many course units.
Start studying well in advance, so that the pressure during your study period does not become too great and you also have some space left for relaxation.
Make a detailed planning on the first day. Write down in concrete terms what you want to do for each part of the day: which course unit, which chapter, how many pages? Of course, this varies from course to course and within the same course from day to day (there are difficult and easy chapters and there are course parts you already know well). You can use the study planner (in Dutch) for this.
Plan realistically! You already have enough study experience to estimate how much time you will need, but take into account that the course units of the first semester might be far away in your memory. Also, do not underestimate the re-study of a course unit! It takes more time and effort than just "repeating it".
Good planning has a motivating effect and prevents panic.
Plan "buffer days": empty days or empty half days in which you can catch up on things if necessary or in which you are entitled to extra relaxation if you have been able to stick to your planning.
Plan your relaxation as well ("at 18:00 I am done studying today and I'm going to..." works as an extra motivation to really work until 18.00).
Allow time for repetition. At the end of each study day, repeat what you have studied that day on the basis of your schedules. And reserve at least 1 day before the exam to repeat the entire study material. Without repetition, you will not remember what you studied and your chances of passing the exam will be slim.
More information on page 27 of the brochure "Denk Wijzer" (.pdf, in Dutch).

3. Study method

Are you not sure whether your study method is the most efficient and the most economical? Make an appointment with your student counsellor before 16 July to discuss this. Investing half an hour in such a conversation can save you a lot of time and improve your study results.
Late for an appointment? Then have a look at the slides about study methods in your session Efficiënter Studeren (for Applied Language Studies (in Dutch); for all other students (in Dutch)).

4. While studying

Plan enough relaxation and often enough. Taking many short breaks works better than 1 long break: you recuperate better, you study more efficiently, you remember the study material better.
Studying is tiring! Sufficient breaks, relaxation and sleep are essential!
Avoid distractions. Switch off your smartphone completely or put it in another room. Also close your laptop or PC. Look something up just before or after a break. If necessary, write down what you want to look up online while you are studying. Do you really need your PC? Then close all notifications and pop-ups of incoming messages.
Organise your social pressure or supervision yourself: study together with a fellow student, share your study hours with your housemates, discuss your study progress once or twice a day at a fixed time with someone who is also studying...

More questions? Make an appointment with your student counsellor before 16 July or send an e-mail with your remaining questions.

We wish you lots of courage and good study results!

Your student counsellors,

An, Milena, Klaar and Nele