Tips for your First Year at Uni (particularly for people not staying on campus)
1. Make friends quick. You’re scared? So is everybody else! Everybody wants to find friends, the faster you strike up conversation the better. Everybody is in the same boat, I promise!
2. Experiment with how you’re going to take notes until you get it down. It’s taken me a year and a half to find something that works for me, and I KNOW if I’d experimented more in first year I’m sure I’d have had it down faster. First year is all about testing your boundaries and working out how you work best.
3. USE YOUR PROFESSORS. I know it’s scary but they are there to help you. If you don’t want to talk to them in front of the class, talk to them face to face after class or during office hours, if you can’t do that, email them! Technology is great!
4. Be Organised. Find out when and where your classes are, work out what your assignments are, what format they’re in, when they need to be handed in, how they need to be handed in, what your reference format is, when your exams are, how they want essays to be formatted (and then learn how to edit). I talked about some great essay writing books in my writing notes post and I absolutely recommend getting the Kindle versions of them.
5. Listen and absorb. Not everything in lectures and seminars is important but you need to learn what is in important and what isn’t. I can tell you now you’ll be mid essay or assignment and you’ll think “Ooh what was that thing the Professor said in that lecture?” and if you haven’t listened properly or taken good notes, you won’t be able to remember and you won’t have it written down, but you will have some obscure reference you will never need.
6. Get a part-time job (depending on how intensive your course is) I only do 12 hours a week each term (not by choice) and having a part-time job not only means I haven’t had to dig into my maintenance loan this year, but it also gives me something to do in the long breaks between terms and during the week.
7. Find and value your support system. I owe basically everything to my parents and I try to always remember that. I would have completely lost it many times without having my uni friends to talk to and commiserate with. The people you surround yourself with should be people you want to be surrounded with.
8. Have fun! I don’t advise that you party it up every weekend, but next Tuesday I’m going to an Open Mic Poetry Night hosted by some other students and for every poem you read on stage you get a free drink! I’m staying overnight in a hotel with my best friend and I think it’s going to be great! It’ll be nice to have some non-class time to hang out with everyone.
9. Appropriate self-interest is important. You’re at university to learn and enrich your future, but it shouldn’t impede your now. Try to take breaks when you need them, use your weekends and holidays and down-time. Look after yourself.
10. Prepare. It will make your life easier if you’re ready for every situation. I promise.
