Distance learning doesn’t cause as much disruption to your life as going away to college and having to attend classes every day. But you will still need to make some adjustments. With this blog post, we want to help make these adjustments as easy as possible for you, so that you can make your distance learning journey a success.
Tip 1 – Creating a study schedule
Once you’ve started your studies, you’ll need to fit study time into your normal schedule. This shouldn’t be too difficult if you’re studying full-time: just set aside a few hours every day to sit down and study. If you’re struggling to stay motivated and have a tendency to procrastinate, then read the next tip.
On the other hand, if you’re working a full-time job during the day, then this may mean having to sacrifice some of your spare time in the evenings to hit the books. Fortunately, because distance learning allows you to study at a more relaxed pace, one or two hours a day should be enough to finish your assignments and prepare for your exams. If you can fit more time in, then great!
Tip 2 – Staying motivated
It can sometimes be difficult to find the motivation to sit down and study. You may feel intimidated about getting started, or tired after a day at work, or you may simply dread the thought of studying. A good way to stay motivated is to connect with fellow students who are studying the same course as you. At Oxbridge Academy, we encourage students to connect with other students by posting on our Facebook page.
Even better, you and a friend can register for the same course. We recently covered a success story of one of our students, who signed up for the same course as one of her friends, and this was an important factor in her achieving a 99% final mark! By studying with someone you already have a friendship with, you can motivate each other, test each other on course material, and even start a little healthy competition to push you to achieve the best possible results.
Most importantly, you should always keep the main reason for your studies at the front of your mind. You’ve decided to study to benefit your personal development and achieve great things one day!
Tip 3 – Making financial adjustments
Distance learning is normally a more affordable option than face-to-face tuition, but there will be some extra costs that you’ll need to budget for. If your budget is tight, then monthly instalments are a good way to go, as long as you always make sure that you’ve set aside enough money to cover your study fees. Look carefully at your monthly budget and see whether there are any less essential items you can cut down on. With the relatively low cost of distance learning, you may not have to make too many sacrifices to cover the difference. It could just be a case of cutting down on fast food, buying less expensive clothes, or going out a little less often every month.
We hope that these tips will help you ace your studies! For more distance learning tips, read: