Tips and Advice for University Freshmen
Hello everyone! I’m writing this as I’ve finally finished freshmen year and I thought I’d share some of the things that I wish I’d known before actually starting university. You do not have to follow the advice, this is just what I believe from my experiences during freshman year.
1. Your syllabus is your lifeline. For me, the syllabus is one of the most important things I receive from my professors because:
Your syllabus is likely to have reading/assignment schedule that you need to follow and you can transfer it into your calendar/ bullet journal on the first day and not worry every week about what it is you’re supposed to be doing for class.
It has policies the professor follows for things like tardiness and absences and this could literally make the difference in your grade. Every professor follows a different policy: some are okay with you missing three classes and some are anal about you being even 1 second late to class. (for example, I took a class with a professor that took off 5% of your final grade each time you were late).
It will have a breakdown of what your final grade includes and this can help you figure out what you need to prioritize working on, so for example, if your quizzes are only worth 5% while your presentation is worth 15%, you should definitely pay more attention to your presentation.
2. ALWAYS do your readings. I can not emphasize enough how important your readings are (despite what some upperclassmen might say). If you do your readings before class, you will feel more prepared for class and you will have a better idea of what the professor is talking about. It also means that you have a chance to ask extra questions about what you’ve read rather than trying to come up with ones while the professor is lecturing (sometimes it’s difficult to come up with questions when you’re being bombarded with information). The one major thing I would say is that when you do your readings you have a better grip on the material and it helps a lot when it comes to exams/essays; contrary to people who didn’t do their readings the first time and have to go back and do all of it again before the exam. It might suck to have to do 50 pages worth of /boring/ readings but it will be beneficial in the long term.
3. Use the resources available to you. Oh my god do I wish somebody made sure I did this. If your university offers something like a tuition/help center, GO WHENEVER YOU’RE STUCK. Use the books at your library or online databases you have access to. If your professors & TAs offer office hours, go speak to them whenever you have any questions. It might be scary but it will literally help so much plus it will help you make connections with people around you.
4. Ask about professors and courses. This is perhaps the most important thing on this list because it can make all the difference when it comes to your GPA. When you’re picking courses for your next semester, ask around about the best professors and courses if you’re looking for a challenging course or ask about easy A classes if you’re looking to keep your GPA up. You should also try to balance what courses you take each semester so that they’re not all super hard and they’re not all super easy (believe me, you will get bored and depressed if they are). If worse comes to worse and you’re stuck taking cores first few semesters-which is likely if you’re a freshman- then try your best to organize your time so that it doesn’t become stressful for you.
5. Speak to your academic dean/advisor. During your first week, you should try to visit your academic dean (if you have one) so that they can help you out. Here’s a list of things they can help you with:
They can help you make a graduation plan which is important if you want to take extra classes or if you have a minor you want to take etc.
They can transfer in your high school extra credit which can exempt you from some of the core requirements or count as extra free electives.
They can teach you how to use the university system if you’re confused when it comes to registering for classes and other administration stuff.
They can offer you support if you just want someone to talk to and/or ask for advice from.
6. You don’t have to join a club. This one might sound very peculiar but here’s my reasoning for this. If you want to make sure you do well in your first year academic-wise, it might be necessary for you not to overload your schedule with club work if you cant handle both at the same time. Club work is rewarding so I encourage you to join clubs when you can but it’s okay for you to get a better grip on how things work in your university first.
And that’s all I can come up with for now, if you have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to send me a message! Good luck to all you incoming freshmen.
