Returning to study - tips for study efficiency

Recently returned to study (Level 7, year 3) as a mature student with extremely limited time.

Can anyone suggest how to get assignments done as quickly and efficiently as possible?

I’m aware of various apps (OpenAI & Grammarly) which seem to be useful tools for creating an outline/template but not sure how good they are at creating Harvard-style references?

Are the Chaptgpt and/or Grammarly subscriptions worth paying for or just the free version?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

I know it is not what you want to hear but put simply - the quickest, most efficient way to do your assignments is to:
1. Attend all classes if at all possible
2. Take plenty of notes
3. Listen out if the lecturer gives any hints or 'suggests' that you have a look at some particular reading/website etc
4. Definitely do the 'Essential' readings and also try to do the 'Recommended' readings
5. Make sure the time you give to preparing each assignment is weighted to the value of the marks. e.g. if you have a presentation worth 20% and an essay worth 60% between now and the end of semester then give 20/(20+60) = 1/4 of your time to the presentation and 3/4 to the essay. Many students end up spending a long time on presentations and skimp on time for written assignments.
6. Work out how much time you can give to a particular assignment, then set aside time for the reading and then time for actually doing the writing - approximately half for each in the case of an essay/report.
7. Read the assignment question carefully - many students either give the answer to the question that they 'want' to answer, or just write down everything they can find on the general topic. You lecturer will be looking for you to address the specific areas in the question.
8. Keep away from AI - firstly, the lecturer will usually be able to spot from a quick read through that it is based on AI, secondly they will also usually put assignments through Plagiarism/AI software and this will highlight the use of AI as well. You could end up with a mark of zero and a disciplinary.

Zotero is great free software for referencing

Open up a google / word doc for each of your assignments and just add headings and bullet point whatever as you go, or read stuff. Gets it started and easier than looking at a blank page. Before you know it you have a decent draft that you can refine and structure

Congratulations on going back to college. It is not easy as a mature student because of time constraints. There is an app called coconote.app It will record your lecture in real time, create notes and questions. You can then listen to your lecture. Taking notes and breaking them down is a huge chunk of time. Might I also suggest a study group. Ours used to work like this: Student A - Criminal, Student B - Contract, Student C - Company, Student D - Tort. Each student was responsible their lecture and had to have notes available for the others. It takes the pressure off having to attend each lecture just the one you are responsible for.
The best advice I ever got was to answer a question fully give 15 points.

Be ruthless with your time and set clear boundaries with anyone who is asking for your time, as it is now a limited resource. Obviously not with family or urgent things but you have a window to complete and for the most part everything else will be waiting for you.

Consider rising early and doing work then with a clear head, or staying on in work if you work outside the home to complete work in a quieter environment.

Outsource things for a bit where you can afford that are time sucks, eg when I was doing my professional exams on top of my busy full time job, I ate a lot of nice M&S dinners at work before heading straight to lectures rather than going home to cook and I used a dry cleaner a lot and everyone got a voucher instead of a present for Christmas, birthdays etc as I didn't want to waste time physically shopping (this was back in the day!) but just try to think of things you can either pay someone to do or just not do at all or substitute with something else.

Set yourself goals eg I will take the weekend off if I can get the work done mid week.

And I was never as efficient as when I was flat out busy as I wasted no time - every minute was accounted for. It can be done for a short defined period, especially if the end goal means more money or a more satisfying job. Best of luck with it!

outofmymind said:

8. Keep away from AI - firstly, the lecturer will usually be able to spot from a quick read through that it is based on AI, secondly they will also usually put assignments through Plagiarism/AI software and this will highlight the use of AI as well. You could end up with a mark of zero and a disciplinary.

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Talk to your class/personal tutor or other course rep in order to clarify the policies on the use of AI. There may be allowances for "legitimate" use such as checking things (caveat emptor!) or generating outlines or draft content etc. Or they may have a zero tolerance policy. One way or another find out what the policy is if you are considering using it at all. And if in doubt, don't.

First poster is spot on
Misemoi great point about being ruthless

Personally I mix everything first poster has said with the ruthlessness of time and the notes the lecturer centers around.

Unfortunately zero fix for reading and experience.

What works for me on assignments is mind mapping on (multiple) pages. this breaks down the assignment into manageable chunks as well as clarifying it into the sub topics (and sub-sub topics). I also put in any references that I came across as they pop up, and linking words/ideas between sub-topics Finally I assign a word count to each sub-topic so I know that rather than writing 4000 words on X, I now have to do 300 words on sub-topic A., 300 on sub-topic B etc. This qives me quick wins each night as I finish each sub-topic, as well as preventing me from running over on a sub-topic and having to cut back on words.

Note- I have a visual/logical thinking style, so mind-mapping works for me, YMMV.