Congratulations!!
You've made it into University.
Now what?
The above pictures are just some snippets from my uni life last year.
Not from the wonderful alcohol fuelled nights out that regularly happen,
but from the work and stress filled nights before hand-ins.
So I figured I'd pass on some knowledge I've gleaned from my first year!
1.
As obvious as it sounds, don't leave work to the last minute. I stupidly left a 3,000 word essay to literally the last day and it was the most stressful, tear filled day of my life to date. Seriously, don't do it.
Start thinking about your essay title as soon as you're given the assignment brief; either which one you want to choose if they're set titles or what you'd like to write about if you have the freedom to pick your own. Then start your background reading early, even if you're not going to start writing it yet, get an overall idea of your subject that way you'll show indepth knowledge (and thus get batter marks!!)
2.
Learn your referencing style early on. It was get you marks later on and save you the hassle of trying to learn it when it eventually counts.
Also, big piece of advice is to reference as you go along. Even if it's not in the correct format (Harvard, Vancouver, whichever you use), jot down the important information. It will save you the ordeal of trying to track down the book and page number when you're hurriedly trying to finish an assignment.
3.
One thing I found a bit of a shock was the fact that most of my modules where purely assessed by one exam and nothing more. This compared to A-Level where you have multiple exams or coursework for one subject was a bit daunting.
In second term I worked out that for me, the best thing was to read through my subject notes for that week and add any extra notes that I'd forgotten or got from a textbook. That way I knew if anything is missing and it kept the information fresh in my mind. So when my summer exams rolled around I felt prepared and not that I had to teach myself the whole course.
4.
Another painfully obvious tip, is to go to your lectures. Even if you're dying from freshers flu or the worst hangover ever, I really suggest you go. ESPECIALLY if it's an exam based module because they pick a little bit from every lecture, trust me!
If you do have to miss a lecture for whatever reason, find someone to get the notes or handouts for you. It was save you heartache nearer exam time and give you a chance to know what the information is.
If you ever need motivation, just think - you're paying for these lectures! For my course it worked out as around £300 a lecture! That made me get out of bed!!
5.
Finally, organise yourself. Have folders with dividers for each of your modules. If your lecturer puts their powerpoints online before the lecture I suggest printing them out before you go as it will save you scribbling like a fool. Similarly, print them off after if you forgot, they will fill the gaps that you couldn't write down; because you will not be able to write as fast as they talk and you will miss something!
Another tip would be to print out the calendar month and mark down all the things you have coming up, like deadlines, trips home, important dates (big nights out, birthdays). This will help you plan your work and will also help you with budgeting your money as that student loan runs out pretty quickly!
Hopefully these have been helpful for anyone starting uni.
Being organised from the beginning really does save you time later on!!
See also:
2 loves:
I may have already done my first year but I am so using your pointers for next year :) I wasn't that organised and it showed!
I'm glad I could help Caitlin, organisation is something that comes easily to me.
Hopefully my mistakes from last year will save people making them themselves!
♥
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