April 28, 2015
Dear students in arms,
There are two aspects to consider here that are relevant in undertaking any exam. The first is the psychological and the second is technical; I will try to elaborate on both holistically.
From the psychological side we have to realize that we ourselves are our greatest teachers; tutors and professors can show us the way but we have to travel that path ourselves. A person who is determined and keeps on pursuing ultimately gets his/her rewards, with or without any tutor. Later onwards in our lives we will realize that ‘one repays a teacher badly if one always remains only a pupil’ (Friedrich Nietzsche).
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2 Comments | 
General, Sociology | Tagged: Danish, Distance Learning, exam tips, Exams, LSE, Motivation, Pakistan, philosophy, Social sciences, Sociology, study tips, studying, time management, University of London International Programmes | 
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Posted by Danish Ali
March 27, 2015
Questions about study habits and practices are very personal questions. They’re not personal in the impolite sense that to raise them evinces a bit of social ineptitude on the part of the enquirer. Rather, they’re personal in the sense that what ‘works’ for each of us will be determined by largely subjective or person-relative factors: What are our goals? What resources do we have access to? What sort of preparation have we undergone? What learning-strategies have we found to be most effective? What extra-academic obligations do we have? And so on.
Given that studying is so deeply personal in that latter sense, this post will only be about how I approach studying. Specifically, it will be about how I approach the study of philosophy as a University of London (UoL) student. My aim in sharing my approach to studying philosophy is threefold: first, I hope that it will provide those who may be interested in studying philosophy both with an idea of what it’s like to study it at the university level, and what it’s like to study it as a UoL student; second, I hope that others who are studying philosophy, or other essay-based humanities subjects, will glean some ideas from my approach that might help them with their studies; and third, I hope that others will share their ideas on studying with me (perhaps in the comments section of this post!) so that I might learn from them.
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13 Comments | Philosophy | Tagged: Birkbeck, Distance Learning, eric, essay writing, independent study, philosophy, study tips, subject guides, University of London, USA, VLE | Permalink
Posted by efd12015
March 18, 2015
With exams around the corner, every student struggles to find the best possible technique of learning, preparing and understanding core concepts of subjects. Some prefer extensive reading, some make long notes, while others find it easy to memorize pointers.
When I was in my first year, I found it quite difficult to manage my studies. Basically, I was unable to explore the different ways of preparing for university examinations. However, the first time experience was both challenging as well as inspiring. Where there were subjects for which I had been preparing all year, through essential readings and past paper practice, there were some modules for which I had been making sample answers, or, answers to past examination papers for each chapter, for example.
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10 Comments | Courses directed by LSE, Sociology | Tagged: Distance Learning, Exams, LSE, Pakistan, Reading, study tips, studying, time management, University of London, University of London International Programmes | Permalink
Posted by Sundus
March 9, 2015
School is a very demanding thing to commit to. Throw a job and an attempt at a social life into the mix and you may begin to wonder how you manage to find time to eat and sleep! However, throughout all the madness, I’ve found three helpful tips that help with time management and productivity. This is key to making the school-work-life balancing act run a little more smoothly.
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4 Comments | Courses directed by LSE, Economics | Tagged: Celine, Distance Learning, Economics, LSE, Procrastination, study tips, time management, University of London, USA | Permalink
Posted by celineguild
March 6, 2015
I hate to say it but we are moving closer to exam time, the most important part of the year for all distance learning students. No matter how big or small sacrifices have felt over the past year, the sacrifices have been made and they deserve a reward at the end. For some this is the last chance saloon where failure is not an option. So here are some thoughts to inspire you through to the end. I could have written study tips but there are enough already online.
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9 Comments | Courses directed by LSHTM, Epidemiology, General | Tagged: Distance Learning, Epidemiology, Exams, International Programmes, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, LSHTM, Motivation, Mustafa, study tips, UK, University of London, University of London International Programmes, UoL | Permalink
Posted by mustafa
February 4, 2015
When someone studying philosophy begins a discussion with the question ‘Who am I?’ your instinctive reaction may be to look for the nearest exit. But before you take your leave, let me assure you that my aim in asking and answering that question is much more prosaic than the label ‘philosopher’ might at first lead you to believe.
My name is Eric DeJardin, and I live in the state of Rhode Island in the United States. I’ve been interested in philosophy since I was a teenager, but I didn’t begin to study it formally until I began to work towards a Bachelors degree at Harvard’s Extension School in Cambridge, MA. My classes on the history of philosophy and on logic with Hugo Bedau, Eli Hirsch and Jay Harris were among the most enjoyable and enlightening I’ve ever taken. I had planned to attain a degree from the Extension School, but after completing about half the required coursework the costs of travelling three times per week from Providence, RI to Cambridge, MA became prohibitive. So I put my formal academic goals on hold and began to look about for an affordable — but, very importantly, high quality — alternative.
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Leave a Comment » | Philosophy | Tagged: Birkbeck, Distance Learning, eric, independent study, philosophy, study tips, University of London, USA | Permalink
Posted by efd12015
January 9, 2015
Electoral Politics
Last month, an episode of the British current affairs debate show ‘Question Time’ was one for the history books. Refreshingly, the panel was dominated by women; journalist Camilla Cavendish, Labour MP Mary Creagh, and Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt. Between them, the three were the bastions of civility, and reasoned political debate. They were joined, however, by ‘comedian and campaigner’ Russell Brand, and leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage. I shall refrain from describing too much of the episode in this blog – you should watch it – except to say that there were several occasions of volatility amongst the panelists, and even amongst audience members. The main point I want to focus on here is a point which was raised during the programme, namely that of representative government. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Courses directed by LSE, International Relations | Tagged: BSc International Relations, Distance Learning, electoral politics, study tips, University of London International Programmes | Permalink
Posted by Tim Harcourt-Powell
