Balancing "A" Levels against Quality of Life.

Commencing the study of "A" - Levels in year 12 can be a very, very daunting experience. The following observations and advice is offered in the hope that it may be of use to new "A" level students.

Obviously you are now all "young Adults" and are probably distracted by the attractions of the world of work and the pleasure of the same: the disco, the pub, the nightclub and so on and so forth. Who could blame you!

For your own well being, it is vital that you try to balance a realistic 7 day a week timetable against the important needs of rest, "jollies", exercise, a job/volunteer work experience, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.. whatever.

You must be honest with yourself and set realistic work targets. There is no point in simply locking yourself in your room(s) for 4 hours each night simply to stare at the same page in a book. You need to design in mini breaks and little treats eg watching the news or a documentary, a programmed text or a telecon to a pal.

Ideally you should aim to account usefully for every waking hour. Try to avoid unrealistic targets. Many students take Wednesday and Saturday evenings off to undertake some form of work. It's something to look forward to and helps attain the Work Ethic to Life Quality Balance.

Getting the balance is the key to good self management. Manage yourself and you can manage others. Students who consistently achieve high grades are almost always those who follow this time management system.

Remember, be honest with yourself, set realistic targets for study periods. Aim to do 15 - 20 mins and then take mini breaks. Individual concentration spans vary enormously. We are all, also affected by diurnal, monthly and seasonal rhythms. Try to empathise with  the needs of your body... we are not machines, we do need rest and jollies! Take time to study the issue of Biorhythmes!

Sometimes, forming a study club can be a good idea, in that 2 or more heads are usually better than one when problem solving. Its also often fun to have pals around to share studying with. Take it in turn to be the host. Kinaesthetic  learning techniques can often aid concentration. Look it up on the internet, find out what helps your learning eg background music or singing scientific definitions to the tune of your favourite song.

I sincerely hope that these thoughts and philosophy herein will be of assistance in engineering your study plan. Good Luck.

David Chitty.