Problems during your studies related to your energy level
You may encounter obstacles in your studies or during your internship because you are often extremely tired, or because you have too much energy. You may need to rest during the day from time to time. This may have a variety of causes and can negatively affect your academic performance.
This is what I need or might need
Support for students with problems relating to their energy level
A range of facilities, accommodations and schemes are available at your educational institution and nationally, which may be very helpful to you and might make it easier to achieve success in your degree programme. As a student with problems relating to your energy level, you might have a need for the following:
- Adjusted study schedule. Timetables and lectures are often definitively scheduled well in advance. This might be an obstacle for you, because you may need a greater degree of flexibility. In many cases, there are possibilities for adjustments so you will encounter fewer problems. Talk to your study adviser about the accommodations and adjustments available to you.
- Guidance and advice. There are a number of people at your educational institution who could help you with this. Get in touch with these people if you encounter obstacles during your degree programme.
Have a look at the other facilities, adjustments or schemes that might be helpful for you, too.
Tips
Attending class and learning
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- Planning: guidance or support with task-oriented planning or making a study schedule, provided by the adviser.
Using computers
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- Computer programs for planning: use computer programs for tasks such as planning and organising your tasks, dictation programs and text-to-speech.
Cooperation
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- Digital calendar: use a portable digital calendar (such as the one on your smartphone) to immediately record any important information or appointments.
Completing projects and assignments
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- Support: ask the lecturer for extra support. Examples of this might involve extra instructions and feedback intervals.
Lesson material
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- Folders: be sure to immediately file/store all the information you receive in an organised way. Create useful folders for yourself on your computer. Scan and save all ‘non-digital information’.
Internship
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- Advice: ask someone at your educational institution for advice on supervision at the internship. This might, for instance, involve what you should tell the supervisor about your disability, things the internship company should be aware of and how to make the supervision as effective as possible in your specific case.
- Agreements: make agreements concerning expectations/possibilities/limitations at your internship (the degree programme can do this for you as well).
- Learning objectives: before you begin looking for an internship, write down your learning objectives, your ambition, which tools/aids you need and your areas for attention, so that you have a clear picture of these things.
- Weekly schedule: make an effective (realistic) weekly schedule and ask for help in doing so.
- Division of tasks: divide the work in such a way that you can do something you are good at.
Assessments and exams
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- Time: ask the lecturer if they can announce any tests or exams well in advance.
- Get assignments in advance: ask for the assignment in advance, so you can prepare or ask questions beforehand.
Learning
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- Planning: guidance or support with task-oriented planning or making a study schedule, provided by the adviser.
- Study buddy: fellow student to whom you can turn with questions and with whom you can study
- Reminders: use reminders to encourage yourself to learn. This might involve an alert on your phone, asking other people to help you remember or choosing to study at fixed times.
- Study-break software: download software that reminds you when it is time to take a break; then you will feel refreshed afterwards when you resume studying.
- Review your notes: try to form a habit of going over your notes one more time every evening.
- Alternating between reading and writing tasks offers variety.
- Clean desk policy: place only the items you need in front of you on the table or desk. Anything else is a distraction.
- Organise the lesson material: organise your lesson material by writing down brief notes, diagrams and questions for yourself and by distinguishing between primary and secondary issues.
- Planning: use a digital study planner.
- Develop a study routine: a fixed rhythm and pre-established times for studying.
- Complete a task: try to complete at least one task every time.
- Spacing out tests: request this so you can focus on one thing at a time. You can do so via your study adviser.
- Progress meetings: schedule periodic, structural progress meetings.
- A course on how to process information: take a course that teaches you how to process information. Most educational institutions offer this kind of course. Examples are: study skills, thesis skills, learning to study and studying effectively.
- Block schedule: create blocks of time and divide your work into individual blocks. No one can study for eight hours in a row, so be sure to schedule breaks and take ‘time off’ when you notice your productivity is low.