I have been studying at Unisa for the past year and a half and although I got off to a rocky start I quickly managed to find my feet with distance learning. As you may or may not know at Unisa you need a high level of self-discipline in order to keep up with the rollercoaster ride each new semester brings. This means you are accountable to yourself for a number of things, making sure you dedicate enough study time each week, scheduling work between different modules and making sure you meet deadlines before hell month begins in other words, exams! I have picked a few tips to get ahead of the game and help me manage my studies more efficiently which I am going to share with you:
RELATED POST: How I became a student. Again.
Study Material
As a Unisa student you soon get to know that your study material may not always make it to you on time, this my friend is no excuse. You can get cracking as soon as you hit ‘Request’ on your application. The moment you register any modules (even if you are temporarily registered) you have access to study material.
I had no idea this facility existed but once I found it, it changed my life forever. No longer will you find me hopping around group chats begging for a tutorial letter because there is a Download Study Material Tool available. All you have to do is fill in your personal details and the tool will generate all the study material for the modules you are registered for. As simple as that, want to try it out for yourself click this link Download Study Material Tool
Books
I don’t know about you but I like saving a penny wherever I can and purchasing second-hand books can save you a ton of money. After you have downloaded the tutorials go through each one and make a list of the prescribed textbooks you will need for the semester.
Once you have that down, have a look at reputable booksellers such as loot.co.za to find out what the retail selling price is of each book. This helps you gauge how much you will be spending on textbooks but it also helps you avoid being ripped off if you are purchasing second-hand. I once had someone try to sell me used textbooks for way above the RSP. If I had not known what they were selling at new, I might have thought it was a pretty good deal. Second-hand bookstores are really good to find a bargain but the easiest way I have found the books I need are through Facebook, Whatsapp, and Telegram groups. I usually post my book list in the group and ask if anyone is selling what I am looking for or I search keywords to find sellers.
Groups
Studying through Unisa can feel kind of lonely. Unlike a physical university, there are no classes (in my experience) so you miss the interaction with peers. Groups bridges this divide by bringing people together to discuss the work and make it easier to cope with Uni life. You can ask the questions about things you are not sure of or access study material. I have also met some of the most amazing people in these groups and made lifelong friendships in my study buddies. The first type of groups I would like to point out is Facebook groups. One, in particular, is the Unisa Students group which is for all students but there are specific groups dedicated to a course like the BA Communications group and even groups for single modules like ENG1501. All you need to do is search keywords such as your course name or a module and filter it out to find any available groups.
When I started at Unisa Whatsapp groups were the standard but currently, Whatsapp is being phased out in favor of Telegram. Telegram is similar to WhatsApp but new members can access any documents and messages that have been sent before a user has entered a group. This means 1 document can be sent instead of it having to be resent over and over. You can find Telegram groups by going to this link Unisa Groups, search your module and join.
Assignments
Read through the assignments for the semester as soon as you get your tutorials. This trick allows me to have a general idea of how much time each one needs. If it’s a multiple-choice question assignment – I know it will take a lot less time to complete than a written assignment. I also jot down the due dates on my calendar so I know when each one is due and I can plan accordingly. I generally do the easier assignments first so that it is out of the way and then I move on to the tougher ones.
If you have the time, reading any novels, textbooks and study guides ahead of time will help you in the long run. If you acquire your study material and books early put in the work as soon as possible even if you commit to reading just a chapter a day during the holiday. I have started reading one of my prescribed books already even though the semester ‘technically’ starts in August I have taken time out of each day to do a little bit before the madness begins.
Thanks for reading
XX Cass
Do you have any tips or questions about studying through correspondence University like UNISA? Let me know in the comment section below and best of luck for the next semester!
One last thing before I go… Please like my Facebook Page Cassricorn Blog to keep up with my posts. I will be posting more on my studies and sharing other fun posts soon.