Assignment deadlines coming up? Hear first hand study advice from previous ICE learners and current tutors

With deadline season fast approaching, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure how to approach what can be a stressful time for many. We spoke to some of our ICE alumni and academic team and asked them to share their top tips for study success.

Academic Centre Coordinator, Anna Gouveia speaks from experience as someone who has studied not once, but twice at The Institute of Continuing Education. She studied an undergraduate Certificate in English Literature: Approaches to Literary Study in 2020-21 and another in English Literature: Texts and Contexts in 2021-22 and is about to start an undergraduate Certificate in Strategic Business and Management. Her top tip is to get your reading done early.

She says: “Reading for study can take much longer than you may expect. To do this thoroughly you want to be able to understand what you have read, process it, and start thinking about it.” Taking notes as you go along is always advised. Anna says: “I would recommend getting some of your required reading done early in the semester, or even before the semester starts. There are many more demands as the semester progresses when you must attend teaching and prepare for assignments, so having the reading sorted gets you off to a good start.” 

Dan Vo, who started his on the Master’s in History of Art and Visual Culture in 2022, encourages learners to weigh up job related commitments.  He says: “Be aware that they may change throughout your study and utilise the support available to you about how to manage these changes.”

Joe Ellis teaches on the undergraduate Certificate in Anthropology: Studying Human Culture. He says: “My greatest study advice is to embrace the fact that nobody fully understands academic texts, which are often limited to human knowledge. The only job is to get as much as possible from them and to have the confidence to produce your own arguments and interpretations.”

Former student on the Master’s in Social Innovation Programme in 2017, Asrif Yusoff, shares his tips on ultimate success. As referred to in his book: “Staying the Course: Navigating the Challenges of Part-time Study”, his top tip is to get supported. “By sharing your journey with the people closest to you, you will be able to gain their support. My wife has been a strong support system- especially when I have an exam or a paper due.”

Mirroring Anna’s tip, Asrif also advises you to start early. Understanding the type of assessment along with their deadlines as soon as you receive the syllabus will give you an idea of what to prepare for. He says: “I also try to attempt assignments as early as I can, no matter how raw or unstructured- it surely beats the stress of scrambling last-minute work.”

At the Institute, we wish you the best of luck with any upcoming assignments and exams and would like to assure that our student support services are there for you, alongside your tutors, advisors and peers.

You can access our student skills support page on the VLE here, or reach out to student support at studentwelfare@ice.cam.ac.uk.