Planning your Time
Planning your Time
Your university timetable might feel a bit confusing at first - especially if you’ve never been to a lecture, seminar or lab before. Mastering time management outside of your contact hours is key to thriving at university - academically, socially and personally.
Hear from Warwick student, Laura, who shares her top tips on getting organised early, staying on top of your workload, and making space for everything that matters.
Contact hours (or timetabled hours) are scheduled sessions where you learning directly from academic staff - like lecturers, seminar tutors, professors or lab technicians. Examples include: lectures, seminars, tutorials, labs and practicals, workshops, and personal tutoring sessions.
“Your timetable can change! Make it a habit to check your timetable at least once a day to avoid walking into an empty room or missing an important session!”
Laura Wopara, PGT
Mastering your time: The key to success
As you start to understand your timetable, you'll quickly realise that a significant amount of your study time isn't explicitly accounted for.
Independent study is the time you spend learning on your own - without direct supervision from a member of staff. This might include reading, preparing for seminars or tutorials, refining your class notes, completing assignments or revising. It’s not scheduled, but it’s just as important.
While it can be tempting to procrastinate, using this time well will make it so much easier when deadlines start to pile up later in term.
Balancing deadlines, sports clubs, societies and general life? Prioritisation is your secret weapon! Boost your academic performance by working smarter, not harder.
- Note key dates early
Add term dates, assignment deadlines and exam periods to your calendar as soon as you know them. Don't wait until the last minute. Don’t forget to build in buffer time for unexpected delays. - Balance your commitments
Warwick has over 250 societies and loads of part time job opportunities on campus via Unitemps. Getting involved is great for your social life and CV, but make sure to be realistic about the time involved when committing to lots of new things. - Learn to say no (sometimes)
It’s tempting to want to do everything, but make sure to protect your time and wellbeing. It's ok to politely decline new commitments, whether it's an extra society role or a social event during a crucial study period.