Make space in your life to be a Unisa student

How am I spending my time?

Track how you are currently spending your time - do this for a week. At the end of a week, summarise the total number of hours you are spending on different activities. Your total number of hours will be 168 hours for the week.

Take a look at how you are currently spending your time. Which activities will you need to spend less time on to have enough time for your studies?

You need to allocate at least 6 to 8 hours per week for 12-credit modules and 10 to 12 hours per week for 24-credit modules.

Take a look at how you are currently spending your time. Which activities will you need to spend less time on to have enough time for your studies?

Create your study space and organise your studies

Space is so important. Remember, this is "distance learning", so you won't be on a campus. Your bedroom will be your campus. Or your study. Or just a desk if need be. Wherever that space is, ideally, it should be a place where you are comfortable and connected.

As you create and negotiate your space, think about what you need.

• Do you need a quiet space with very few distractions?
• If this space is not readily available at home, where will you study?
• Will you be able to negotiate to study at a neighbour's house during the day, or in a hall or at a library?
• Have you organised your studies? Do you have all your study material (remember you can download it from myUnisa)? Are your contact details correct on myUnisa? Have you purchased the necessary prescribed books?

Negotiate support

Your study success is not only dependent on your own efforts – you need other people, such as your family, employer and friends. Negotiating the support of others means that you will need to help the people in your life understand the demands of open distance e-learning (ODeL), and that you will communicate your challenges, successes and needs in terms of your studies.

Negotiation is a give and take situation – you also have to think about what you can give back to those who support you. This can range from giving others feedback about your study process, spending time with them when you are not studying and including them when you reward yourself for your success.

And, of course, don’t forget about getting the necessary support to cover the cost of your studies. Unisa’s Student Funding Division offers services to assist you in obtaining funding to cover the cost of your studies. Bursaries and loans are available to academically deserving and financially needy students to relieve the stress of worrying about paying for your studies.