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Inspiration and advice on

Study strategies

Did you know that you can create more balance in your everyday life and improve your well-being and effectiveness in your studies by reflecting on why you study the way you do? Here, you can read more about different strategies and techniques that can help you develop personally effective study habits, strengthen your study competencies, and create more balance in your student life.

Inspiration and advice on

Study strategies

Did you know that you can create more balance in your everyday life and improve your well-being and effectiveness in your studies by reflecting on why you study the way you do? Here, you can read more about different strategies and techniques that can help you develop personally effective study habits, strengthen your study competencies, and create more balance in your student life.

Did you know?

These five competence areas can make your study life more balanced and effective

All techniques and strategies you find on this page are based on five study competence areas that Student Guidance and Wellbeing at AAU has identified on the basis of research articles, experiences from the guidance, and dialogue with teaching staff. The five study competences are:

- Cultural competence
- Personal competence
- Academic competence
- Study-technical competence
- Social competence

Study competences are about the fundamental abilities, skills, and prerequisites that enable you to complete an education. Study strategies are about the concrete methods, approaches, and techniques you can use to learn, understand, remember, and apply knowledge.

Your student life is like a mixing console. Each slider represents a competence area. You do not need to have all the sliders pushed all the way up. It is the ongoing fine‑tuning that helps create a good sound — and a balanced student life.

What does the five competence areas involve

  1. 1

    Cultural competences

    Cultural competences involve being able to take shared responsibility for the study environment and understanding how to navigate the spoken and unspoken norms of your study programme

  2. 2

    Personal competences

    Personal competences involve being aware of, among other things, personal motivation, self‑reflection, and being able to practise self‑care throughout your studies

  3. 3

    Academic competences

    Academic competences involve understanding the connections within your study programme, being familiar with the academic requirements of the programme, and being able to challenge academic elements as well as develop an academic identity

  4. 4

    Study‑technical competences

    Study‑technical competences are about being able to reflect on and apply personally effective study techniques that help increase your learning and create balance in your student life

  5. 5

    Social competences

    Social competences involve actively participating in and contributing to academic and social communities with fellow students and teachers in your study programme

Would you like to train the five competence areas?

Everything you can read on this page draws on and touches each of the five competence areas. So explore the boxes above and get help and inspiration for how you can optimise your study strategies