Studying remotely can be complicated if we do not have or work certain essential skills for this modality. Know them: The importance of knowing oneself
Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. If we have difficulty paying attention and get bored doing the same thing all the time, we are unlikely to want to be air traffic controllers or work on an assembly line. Obviously, knowing our
strengths and weaknesses (and not deceiving ourselves) is a great advantage, but knowing them at this time does not imply that they will always be the same or that everything we do has to be conditioned by this knowledge. If studying a university degree remotely is an option that interests us, we should have a serious meeting with ourselves before making the decision to know if it is really the best modality to obtain our
university eTitle. There are certain skills that are essential to take this modality. The good news is that all of them can be trained, so if studying remotely is what we want, we just have to see which ones we are weakest in and train them.
1. Organization
When we study remotely, it is very important that we always have the syllabus available and
well organized, so that we always know how much content each subject has so that we can schedule our time based on the study hours that each subject needs. Likewise, we must organize the daily time that we will dedicate to study and if our work or obligations will allow us to do it and how: if we work 8 hours a day 6 days a week, we must be realistic and calculate the number of subjects that we can pass annually.
2. Discipline
When we do not attend class in person, it is very important to create an
effective study routine, not only for exams, but daily. Retaining what has been studied in memory is much more difficult without attending classes where auditory and emotional memory is trained, something that will not happen when studying remotely. There are universities that provide audiovisual material such as recorded classes or that even work with the formula
online in person, but it is still not the same as when we personally interact with classmates and teachers. In addition, when we want to study remotely, it is usually because we need to combine it with a job, so online class schedules are not always compatible. To study remotely, we will need a strong discipline to start every day, even when we are very tired from work and do not feel like it or when we have other things on our mind that make concentration difficult. Creating schedules and following them is the only way to succeed with distance education.
3. Willpower
Studying remotely involves introducing a habit into our daily routine that may not have been there before and without the support that attending classes provides. It is possible that we have chosen this option because we want to
return to studying as adults or because we do not have enough time to combine our work or personal life with the time that an attendance-based degree requires, but let's not fool ourselves: studying remotely will also take a lot of time and will deprive us of other leisure or rest activities. For this reason, we must be very clear in advance that we will be able to do it and that we will need all our willpower to set aside other more pleasant activities in favor of our academic goal. In other words, to study remotely, we need to be able to set a goal and give up immediate gratification.
4. Commitment
With the previous points clear, and before deciding to take the plunge, it is important that we reach a commitment with ourselves. Studying is one of the most satisfying activities there is (as long as we like it), but it is not a bed of roses. There will be days when we think about giving up, there will be exhausting moments, we will have to perfect our study techniques to adapt to a system in which we will lack the support that attendance classes provide, we will have to sacrifice other things, etc. Studying always requires commitment, but studying remotely requires even more. So let's think carefully if it is what we want to do and, if we are sure, go ahead. Few things will be as rewarding as the triumphs we achieve when we have done everything in our power to achieve them.
5. Love for reading
Another important issue in the case that we decide to study remotely is that we like to read and that we have the habit of doing so. The university will provide us with the syllabus in the form of books, essays, articles, and studies that we must know to face exams and, in addition to online student platforms and the guidance of teachers, all the work will be based on our reading. If we enjoy reading, all the work will be much easier and enjoyable for us. But when it comes to learning, reading like when we read a novel is not enough, we have to be able to memorize it and, for that, we will need to work hard on the methods of
comprehensive reading. We believe that studying, whether remotely or in person, is always the best idea one can have. Studying, learning new things, will make us grow, connect us with other realities and people, and although it may have, or should have, a professional utility, the most important thing is what it will bring to ourselves. A day of learning is never a wasted day and all the effort is worth it. Go ahead!
