Ascent gets you organised 

Creating clear Goals and breaking them down into achievable Sessions boosts your confidence and accelerates your learning outcomes 

Practising good organisational skills puts you more “in control” and helps you in school as well as later on in the university/workplace 

Good time-management and development of effective habits helps you achieve a good work-life balance and arrive “switched-on” for learning 

Ascent helps you collaborate with peers 

Discussing and explaining topics with peers helps retain information 

Regular collaboration with “study-buddies” motivates you to learn, raises questions that test and clarify your understanding from different perspectives and helps you apply your knowledge in new settings 

Engagement with peers builds useful life-skills (leadership, how to communicate effectively, manage group dynamics, etc.) 

Ascent helps you stay on track 

Arranging a specific time for a Group Session to collaborate with others on a specific topic helps hold you accountable in preparing for that Session, turning up at the agreed time and interacting with others to get the work done to an acceptable standard 

Building a supportive network of peers provide opportunities for regular check-ins with a trusted mentor who can reflect on what you’ve recently achieved, nudge you towards positive behaviours and encourage you to share any worries that might be holding you back 

Ascent can be used within your Group for shared goals that are extra-curricular too (playing sports, discussing a novel, etc.) and in this way opens up opportunities for you to achieve a healthy balance between study vs. play 

Don’t just take our word for it, many others also think getting organised, collaborating and staying on track is important

Many universities (e.g. Harvard University, University College London, Stony Brook University, University of North Carolina) highlight the importance of getting organised by setting goals and sessions, collaborating in group learning with peers and building networks to stay on track. 

 In their “Top 10 Study Tips to Study Like a Harvard Student”  Harvard University suggests:  

“Setting specific goals along the way of your studying journey can show how much progress you’ve made. Psychology Today recommends using the SMART method: 

• Specific: Set specific goals with an actionable plan, such as “I will study every day between 2 and 4 p.m. at the library.”   

• Measurable: Plan to study a certain number of hours or raise your exam score by a certain percent to give you a measurable benchmark. 

• Realistic: It’s important that your goals be realistic so you don’t get discouraged. For example, if you currently study two hours per week, increase the time you spend to three or four hours rather than 10. 

• Time-specific: Keep your goals consistent with your academic calendar and your other responsibilities.” 

“Ask for Help. You don’t have to struggle through difficult material on your own… Be proactive about identifying areas where you need assistance and seek out that assistance immediately.” 

“Use the Buddy System. Your fellow students are likely going through the same struggles that you are. Reach out to classmates and form a study group to go over material together, brainstorm, and to support each other through challenges. Having other people to study with means you can explain the material to one another, quiz each other, and build a network you can rely on throughout the rest of the class-and beyond.” 

University College London suggests ways to motivate yourself to study: 

“Take a time limited approach in which you schedule your tasks. Ask yourself ‘how much can I achieve in the next 2 hours?’” 

“Communicate to others… what you intend to do. This can help you engage with the process and identify the important tasks. Communication / externalisation can help you to commit with immediate goals and you could also find out others points of view and tips.” 

“Make yourself sit down and work even if this is for just 20 minutes.” 

Stony Brook University recommends similar advice:  

“Goal Setting Goals must be well defined and attainable… realistic, specific, and clear” 

“Time Management Use a planner or calendar to keep track of dates… schedule your study sessions… Plan study time in advance to prevent cramming” 

“Avoiding Procrastination Get started on the task right away by taking a small slice at a time… Setting a deadline can kill procrastination as the mind gets locked on to the ‘mission’ to complete the task in a pre-determined time span.” 

“The importance of studying in collaborative groups with fellow students – talking out loud and explaining to them (“teaching them”) about what you have learned can greatly enhance your chances of remembering the information for the long-term… 

We retain: 

• 10% of what we read 

• 20% of what we hear 

• 30% of what we see 

• 50% of what we see and hear 

• 70% of what we talk about with others 

• 80% of what we experience personally 

• 95% of what we teach to others” 

This resonates with the decades of memory research in the field of Psychology (e.g., Craik & Tulving, 1975) which demonstrate how more elaborate descriptions with lots of rich details (e.g. the way you might explain something you’ve read about in the textbook when collaborating with peers in an Ascent session) can greatly improve long-term retention of that information. That can be very helpful when you need to remember information for exams and also makes learning more interesting for you and others in your Session!

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill advises students:  

“Plan to break your reading into manageable chunks. Do you have five days to read twenty pages? Read four pages a night. Twenty pages in only one night? Read four pages and then take a fifteen-minute break to rest your mind and move your body. Taking breaks while reading improves focus, motivation, understanding, and retention… Try using a weekly calendar… to break up and schedule your time.” 

“Reading is not studying. Simply reading and re-reading texts or notes is not actively engaging in the material. It is simply re-reading your notes. Only ‘doing’ the readings for class is not studying. It is simply doing the reading for class. Re-reading leads to quick forgetting.”

“Become a teacher. Try to explain the material in your own words, as if you are the teacher. You can do this in a study group, with a study partner, or on your own. Saying the material aloud will point out where you are confused and need more information and will help you retain the information. As you are explaining the material, use examples and make connections between concepts (just as a teacher does). It is okay (even encouraged) to do this with your notes in your hands. At first you may need to rely on your notes to explain the material, but eventually you’ll be able to teach it without your notes… Say your answers aloud. This will help you to retain the information and make corrections where they are needed… Learning the material in this way actively engages your brain and will significantly improve your memory (Craik & Tulving, 1975).” 

“Get an anti-procrastination buddy. Tell someone about your work goal and timeline, and ask them to help you determine whether or not your plan is realistic. You can do the same for him or her. Once or twice a week, email your buddy to report on your progress, and declare your promise for the next week. If, despite your good intentions, you start procrastinating again, don’t think, “All is lost!” Instead, talk to your buddy about it. They may be able to help you put your slip into perspective and get back on track… create an accountability structure with him or her.”