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Starting your online studies seems pretty simple, right?

Switch on your laptop and settle in for lots of engaging content, videos, readings, zoom meetings with your new virtual peers and you're good to go..!

But making sure you’re switched on and your surroundings are set up are often crucially overlooked steps on the path to success in the virtual classroom. 

Take a look at the 5 hacks below, to make sure you start off on the right foot ...

1.Calendar time

As time commitments build up, creating a routine around the immovable appointments in your calendar will help you to keep on top of the small things. 

Say for example your classes run from 10am - 12pm every other day, why not make room half an hour before and after to consolidate your notes and check out those study resources. Or you could make sure that you sit down to do the same study hours on the days you don’t have a virtual class.

Blocking time out before you start a course, will save you time further down the line.

2. Strike a pose! 

Find your optimum setting for your zoom calls. It's so worth taking the time to find the perfect place for your zooms. Make sure you’re facing a light source (window is good!), so it’s not behind you; get some comfy cushions; not too far from the internet router (or the coffee pot!) and importantly somewhere that is as quiet as it can be. 

Putting a little bit of effort into getting a good set up, will mean that you won’t be taking your classmates on a tour of your house, awkwardly showing them all your burgeoning floordrobe!

3. Resources for your new mission control

OK so everything is online, surely all I need is my laptop? Oh no! 

Don’t forget a good pad and paper, water bottle, earphones and desk space, mean that you can stay focused on your work. Set it up like it's your mission control center - your future-self with thank you.

4. Dress for success!

Your zoom meetings are important times for you to connect and see your lecturer and classmates, looking presentable will not only save any pyjama embarrassment but also help you to distinguish these times as different from the rest of the day and put you in a study mindset. 

5. Find your drive

The nature of online study means that your inspiration and drive to work hard on your assignments may have to come from new or different places. Set yourself up for success by knowing what motivates you to study. Is it the degree you’ll earn at the end? Your friends and family? Or is it simply the really nice dinner you have planned that evening, that you can enjoy guilt-free once you’ve finished an assignment? Whatever it is, get to know it before you start, then jot it down and remind yourself regularly to jump-start your study during those lulls.

Lastly, staff at Arcadia are on hand to support you before, during and after your studies. We’re excited to have you join our summer Virtual Europe courses and see you in a Zoom call soon!