3 tips to help maintain a work-study-life balance

As newcomers to the School of Education and Professional Development (SEPD) at the University of Huddersfield, you might wonder how it feels like studying at the school and what should you prepare for your academic journey here. I am Huyen and I hope my experiences from the two-year journey as an international student at SEPD will have some useful take-ways for you.

For your background information, I completed my Master’s degree at SEPD in 2020 and I just commenced my PhD programme in 2021. Here are the three tips that have helped me maintain a work-study-life balance considering the amount of independent work that is required of postgraduate students.

1. Start to interpret and work on your assignments the earliest possible

This piece of advice might sound redundant, but it has saved me several times. As an international student, my goals of moving to the UK are not limited to academic achievements. There are plenty of distractions along the way. You can already name them, I guess, from adapting to the local lifestyle to traveling here and there to explore the country. That is why sticking to deadlines is a real challenge for international students, especially those who enjoy traveling around like me.

What I usually do before a course starts is look at the Module Handbook, which is available on Brightspace, the University’s virtual learning environment (VLE). This Handbook has every detail that you need to know about the deadlines, learning outcomes, and contact information of the module tutors. I would rather start to read for the assignments from day one so that I can raise questions about the assignments. Also, because the assignments target the knowledge delivered throughout the course, learning about the assignment requirements beforehand helps me constantly reflect on what is taught and how it is related to the assignments. Doing this not only helps me consolidate the knowledge I am exposed to but also saves my reading time under deadline pressure.

2. Set your own deadlines that are earlier than the official deadlines

Instead of sticking to the official deadlines, I would set another deadline for myself, which is usually 4-5 days earlier. This allows me to have time to proofread my work, raise questions with my tutor and it also reminds me to finish work while having several personal plans. I believe this is also a safety-net tactic. One of my classmates fell ill only a couple of days before the official deadline. Although he managed to submit the assignment, he had no time to proofread his work because he planned to submit the assignment on the exact date stated. This tremendously affected his result. Another friend of mine submitted the wrong file onto Brightspace. However, because she submitted it earlier than the official deadline, she had enough time to contact the IT help desk and get the correct file submitted. Of all the incidences I have witnessed, I always tell myself to be ready long enough before the deadline hits.

3. Make use of your tutoring time

Usually, before the final submission of any assignments, students are required to submit a draft. This draft helps the students outline their plan for the final submission and, in turn, allows the tutor to navigate and assess the progression as well as the learning needs of the student. After the submission and the students have received written feedback for their draft, there is always a 1-on-1 tutoring session where students are given opportunities to ask questions regarding their work. Once I was writing an off-topic essay and the tutor during the tutoring session helped me pointed out why my essay was not on track. She then also helped me clarify the assignment requirement and made sure that I understand it thoroughly. The tutoring sessions are also the time when you can ask questions that you still struggle to find the answer to as you still need further experience, such as where and how to read a scientific paper. Although there are abundant tips and advice online, one thing to remember is that there is no one-size-fits-all way of working or studying. By looking at your specific work, the tutor can tailor their advice based on your study needs (via your questions, or via your submitted draft), which can benefit you directly. In brief, the tutoring session is the time when the tutor offers you specific and personalised guidance on your work so consider carefully if you want to skip it.

I hope that these three pieces of advice can help you form a rough idea of the higher-education context in the UK as well as prepare yourself for your study at SEPD. I hope that having the right strategies can make the challenges become more enjoyable.