October 06th 2020

We know your struggles – Part 1

Combining work and study successfully - tips from Sandra Grässle

Before Sandra Grässle started working in our department, she worked in another department at MCI and successfully completed a bachelor's degree at our university. She now likes to share her take-away and thus her verified do's from that time with you.

Time management

A part-time study program requires good time management. I worked with to-do lists and prioritized the various tasks according to their due dates. Often one likes to tackle tasks that are far from being due because they are perhaps more convenient to complete. My tip: Eat that frog!

One day off per week

Even in stressful phases of your studies, you should plan at least one day off per week for yourself. On this day, you should not be busy with work or study. I liked to take the Sunday off to recharge my batteries. With good time management, this should be feasible.

Workplace

Create a well-equipped workplace for your studies as well. Ideally, you can also take enough distance from this learning environment in your free time. Personally, this has always helped me a lot to separate work, study and private life. If you do not have room within your own four walls, use the library or the study zones at MCI. Or, perhaps there is a place at work that you can use for studying?

Learning materials

Bring order to your learning materials from the very beginning. This saves a lot of time, which you urgently need, especially when studying while working.

My last tip: Even in stressful, challenging times, do not give up and ask for advice if you do not make progress - often a new perspective helps to solve problems or to achieve goals.