If you’re a typical 18 year old deciding to go to uni, it’s a big step from what you know. Moving from your hometown to a new place where you might not know anyone is scary, but you’ll be proud of yourself at the end.
What you know about uni is probably all taken from adverts, films and what people around you might have told you. For me, my sister told me a lot about her experiences of uni. But she had quite a different time as she lived at home while studying locally.
There’s a few things I wish I’d known before I started at uni, but it is all a learning curve. Here’s a few things I’ll share with you that I learnt very quickly during my first semester.
Get cleaning
It’s all too easy to let your room become a mess when you say “I’ll clean tomorrow.” Before you know it, it’s two weeks later and it’s a tip. Get your washing up done, clean your room and empty your bins. Uni halls aren’t known for their space, so it feels so much better when it’s clean and tidy.
Ask questions
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Ask questions during and after your lectures. If you don’t understand something, ask. It’s more than likely you’re not the only one confused. If you find that you’re struggling, book in an appointment with your lecturer and they’ll be more than happy to support you. Asking questions is the whole point of uni; you’ll learn much better with a curious mind.
Talk to academic advisors
We have a great team of academic advisors in the library. They can help you with all sorts; essay structure, referencing and finding academic literature. I wish I’d booked in with them sooner as I always struggled with referencing, but once I talked to them, I found it so much easier.
Start work experience
You’ll learn lots of skills during uni, but work experience gives you the chance to put them into practice. Take summer internships, get a part time job, take up opportunities to build your skill set. Your CV will look much better when it comes to finding a graduate job.
Get yourself a schedule
Uni gives you so much free time and it’s tempting to use that to go shopping or binge on your favourite Netflix shows. Get yourself into a habit of setting times for socialising, study and exercise so that you’re not drowning in work halfway through the semester.
Image by Hagar Lotte Geyer from Pixabay
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