5 Steps to Surviving University as a Freshman
So I’ve just completed my first year in university, as a Chemical Engineering undergraduate (with a focus in research due to the nature of a scholars’ programme I’m in) at NTU (Singapore) and it has been…..quite something. Because it is such a jump from high school / junior college / pre-u stuff, here is a list of some advice that I have for anyone coming into university as a freshman. Keep in mind that I am an engineering student, and engineering courses tend to be more intensive in their curriculum (as compared to, say, humanities – no tea, no shade; it’s just the nature of the course). Also, because I am a true Asian, I want to do well while having fun. So these advice are more catered for that HAHA. Anyway, here goes.
Attend orientation
Have fun before the actual school term starts. Go for orientation, or whatever it is your university offers to induct freshmen into its environment. GO FOR IT. Make friends, have fun! Because university is no longer like high school where you have a homeroom to come back to, and fixed classmates in each lesson, you’ll have to rely on yourself to keep a social circle / have some people to attend lectures with. In my experience, the people that I stuck to in orientation and had the most fun with ended up being the same people I would then go to lectures and tutorials with. And, you also form a community where you can share notes and resources and most importantly, have each other’s backs in what can sometimes be a hellhole. :) Also it makes it easy for project work, because you can just stick to the same people you can vibe with.
Study consistently
I know, I know. In high school, you could probably afford to cram information last-minute before mid-terms / finals. And most of us had 2-3 years to prepare for ‘A’ Levels. But let me tell you something that my friends and I have realised. 1 semester in university is equivalent to studying the entire ‘A’ Level syllabus of about 4 subjects. I know, it sounds crazy, but you just have to study consistently to get there. Make notes in lecture (please pay attention in lecture – I have learnt this the hard way), complete your tutorials religiously AND always follow up on them to make sure that you’ve got all your answers right, and also revise regularly. It’s going to be a lot of work if you want to keep your grades up for that second upper to first class graduation, because most schools work on a cumulative GPA system. But if you’re only looking to graduate with a pass and nothing more, yeah cut yourself some slack. HAHA.
Don’t be scared to approach profs for help
I’m not too sure about this one for other unis, because I’ve heard quite shit things about the profs in other unis being unhelpful / hard to get ahold of / unapproachable. But in my case, I found that profs are more often than not, extremely willing to help. Because the nature of their work requires a very deep and thorough understanding of the fundamentals, it makes the most sense to approach them for help as a freshman in uni learning the fundamentals. I really can’t vouch for other profs / courses / unis, but my experiences so far with different professors have been amazing. They are such busy busy people, but will not hesitate to clear out some time just to impart to a young adult knowledge that they are so passionate about. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’ll always be someone willing to listen to you and lend a helping hand.
Sign up for extra-curricular stuff
It seems extremely counter-intuitive to add on to your list of commitments when you’re already bogged down with so many courses, but trust me when I say that sometimes having a life outside and away from your books could be the only thing keeping you sane. I know it sounds really dramatic, but my university course is extremely insane with the scholars’ programme, and I looked forward so much to the weekly table tennis trainings because it was when my friends and I could really get together and have an allocated block of time to have fun. Also, there might be ad-hoc extra-curricular things like planning / organising events, which basically means free food for free labour, but above all it brings an added sense of satisfaction to know that you’re not just contributing the university / adding meaning to your life by doing well in the books. You’re actually making something happen, so it might be a little stressful at times, but the joy and satisfaction it brings in the end to see your efforts come to fruition will be worth it.
Keep in touch with high school friends
I know there’s always that stereotype that people are dumbasses in high school, but you’ll find yourself missing your old friends way more in uni. I’m not quite sure why – perhaps because we miss the sense of familiarity that came with going to the same class every day, seeing the same people every day, blah blah. But trust me when I say that things definitely look and feel a lot simpler in high school when you look back on it. So keep in touch with your friends from high school. Don’t just stay in your little bubble in university, because more often than not, it’s easy to get trapped in there and think you’re seeing the world outside, when in fact you’re limiting yourself to the population within that little island that is uni. Also, it’s nice to get out and hear stories from old friends about their own uni, to know that you’re not alone.
Anyway, that’s all I have so far. I’ll perhaps come up with a follow-up post when I think of more. In the meantime, please feel free to ask me anything regarding chem eng / NTU / whatever it is if you’d like. :) I’ll be more than willing to help.
Picture credits: pinterest
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