All students want to do the best they possibly can, which is why you’re here reading this! If you want to do well then there are no two ways about it, planning is an essential part of studying. I’m sure we all know the temptation of starting something new and wanting to dive in headfirst. However, sometimes this just isn’t the best approach. It can seem tedious to begin with, but remember that time spent properly planning will easily save you twice the time later on.

When you start the course, you should start your planning before you so much as open your textbook. A BTEC HND course, with its 16 essay marked units, is a serious commitment and you should spend some time developing your Masterplan to tackle it. When you develop your plan, take the following into consideration:

Setting a realistic study timetable – don’t make the mistake of overestimating the time you have to study, as this will come back to haunt you later on. Setting a realistic timetable means you’ll be more flexible and adaptable as the course progresses.

Setting realistic goals and targets – Because you don’t have assignment hand in dates, it’s easy to put off that essay till tomorrow…. or the weekend…. Or maybe next week….. Setting yourself a date to complete the essay can help focus your work and stop you from procrastinating.

Don’t beat yourself up if life gets in the way of hitting one target, but make sure that you don’t abandon them either.
Knowing what is expected of you – Make sure you’re fully aware of all of the work that you’re expected to complete and your obligations as a student before you begin. Contact student services if you are unclear on anything.
2. Make the most of your materials and be prepared to read around

When you enrol, you’ll have full access to all of the core course materials and spending the time to learn the key concepts of your course is