Seven predictors of success

One of the most impactful things you can do to be successful at university is to devote enough time to your study. A rough guide is that for each course you are enrolled in, you should be putting at least 10 hours per week towards that subject. These 10 hours will include attending on campus or online classes, studying, researching, and doing assessment. There are times this will fluctuate, especially at the end of semester when there’s lots of assessment due. By putting in enough time each week, you will stay on track and get the most out of each of your subjects.

Don’t worry if this seems a bit much, you can talk to one of UniSQ's Learning Advisors for help to map out a weekly plan that includes your studies and your work/ life commitments to create a schedule that is realistic and works for you.

This may seem pretty obvious, but attending either online or on campus classes regularly, gives you a great chance of success. Going to classes will help you meet and connect with your Teaching Team and your fellow students. It also will ensure that you’re across your content and up to date with assessment requirements.

There will be times when you don’t feel motivated to study or you run into study challenges. This is normal! This is when it’s important to remember why you’re here at university. Having a sense of your future profession or possible career pathways will help you to hang in there and persist in your studies.

If you’re not sure what this looks like for you, have a chat with one of the friendly Careers team members. They can help you at every stage of your career planning journey.

Be confident! You got in to UniSQ because we believe you belong here. Having a sense of ‘academic’ self-confidence and an expectation that you can and will succeed at Uni is central to your ongoing success. Be kind to yourself and try to engage in a bit of ‘positive self-talk’. Celebrate the small wins as you progress through your studies. 

Don’t be overly harsh with yourself if you experience a setback, if you get stuck there are people here like the Wellbeing team to help you.

Having a network of uni connections will also provide you with a great support system that you can draw on throughout your studies.

It can sometimes feel a little lonely when you first start university, but it won’t feel that way for long. 

Think about joining one of UniSQ's Student Clubs, going along to Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), or connecting through Peer Mentoring. Some of the friendships you develop at UniSQ will be strong and long lasting.

To maximise your chances of academic success, you also need to feel confident with UniSQs online learning environment. Have you checked your Umail recently? If you haven’t, you might like to set up a forward on it to your personal email. It’s also very helpful to regularly access your course sites on StudyDesk. This way you’ll be up to date on everything that is happening with your course and at the university. 

If you need a bit of help, check out the Tech-tutorials.

Students have a lot going on. That’s why it’s important to balance your work-life-study commitments to ensure you have enough time and energy for your studies. Research shows that if you are enrolled as a full-time student undertaking four courses across the semester, it will be very challenging if you work more than 15 hours of paid work each week. Working more than this will make it difficult to allocate enough time each week for your studies.

If you need to get some advice about balancing your study load with your outside work commitments, UniSQ Learning Advisors and Student Success Advisors are here to help. You can also connect with our Wellbeing Team for help organizing your finances and applying for scholarships.