Arcadia Scotland

The term is in full swing now and hopefully everyone is getting the hang of classes, tutorials, labs and other academic obligations. While you are probably finding both similarities and differences between the academic approach embraced at your home school and the style of lectures, work and assignments here, it can be a challenge to adapt to the unfamiliar features of the British education system.

In an effort to help ease some of the stresses that come from studying in a new system, we thought we would offer a few tips to help you as you are beginning to submit mid-terms papers, projects and exams.  We hope these tips will be of use.

• Start early! There are a limited number of books in the library being accessed by a lot of students. Make sure you get to the library and start researching early in order to check out appropriate books, make photocopies and generally access the materials that you need. Additionally, planning your work schedule and managing your time will help to alleviate stress and will probably lead to the production of better work.
• Use the university resources! All of your universities provide excellent student services, which you are entitled to use. From writing centers and workshops to student counselling--they are there to help. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us, the international office at your university or the academic/health services directly in order to acquire more information.
• Make sure that you understand and respond directly to the questions asked! When writing short essays or taking exams, you have limited time and space to develop your argument and express your ideas. Plan the structure of your essay in advance and don't waste your word count on superfluous detail and overly elaborate language--choose and use the best evidence, write concisely and be sure to address all relevant aspects of the questions while striving for depth of analysis. Furthermore, you should employ the language of formal debate, avoiding colloquialisms, hyperbole, and first person perspective.
• Ensure that you are distinguishing your words from those of other scholars. Cite direct quotations, ideas, theories or concepts presented by others using the appropriate method, as stipulated by the style guidelines for that course.
• Communicate! Asking questions, letting your tutors and lecturers know if you run into trouble and talking with classmates are essential to your success. Don't hesitate to tell someone if things aren't going as planned--they will help you work it out.
• Double check that you are following the appropriate style guidelines. Departments will have different preferences for citations and style, so you should check the handbooks for each course. Make sure that you keep to any limits on your word count and provide appropriate bibliography and references.
• Ensure that you know the correct dates, times and places for submissions. There may be specific requirements for what you need to submit, so check these out with plenty of time to spare.
• If you have a final exam in your course, make a careful note of the date, time and location. It is never too early to check out past exam question papers (if they are available). Ask your tutor/instructor, or someone at the university library as to how to access these if you cannot find them on your course learning platform, or online university library search engine.

These are just a few tips to help you prepare for and succeed during the mid-year and final assessments. Hopefully these are helpful, but don't hesitate to get in touch with us or your instructors if you have questions.