It’s that time of year when people of all ages head back to school for another academic year. Whether you’re off to university for the first time or you’re a tired, drained image of the bright eyed fresher you once were, it’s never too late (or early) to learn a few tricks from those who have been there, done that, and bought the commemorative, overpriced hoodie, so dive in to our honest advice and tips for making the most of your time at uni.
- Arzo:
Two weeks into my masters course and I’m already questioning all my life choices and future goals…so my first bit of advice is it’s normal! Remind yourself of that – it’s normal to lose motivation, to question what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and how the hell you’re going to get through it. Honestly, more often than not I am in this phase. I could tell you to work hard, be organised etc., but really just remember it’s okay to lose your motivation, don’t punish yourself for having a day off. A good work-life balance is so important and even at my 23 years I’m still trying to figure it out.
It’s normal to lose motivation, to question what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and how the hell you’re going to get through it.
My second piece of advice is don’t compare yourself to those around you – everyone is different and you don’t truly know what anyone’s going through. So just focus on yourself – at uni it’s important to have good people around you that inspire you to work harder and aim higher, but at the end of the day you are the one who’s going to sit your exams – so just focus on you and try to not compare!
Be sociable! Much easier said than done and I know it can very difficult for some, but try to talk to the people on your course – sit next to different people get to know them – I am sure there’ll be someone there who can make the time at uni more bearable! Find your person! But don’t worry if you don’t – be comfortable with you, you’re paying a s*** load of money to be there so just make try to make the best out of whatever situation you are in. It’s never too late to join societies, you could even make a Facebook group for your course (if one doesn’t exist already) and just try to be active on there!
Finally, enjoy it! Dedicate days for studying and days for relaxing – organise yourself well and it’ll be a breeze. If things get too much, take time off, seek help, every uni will have a system in place to help students with any issues be it mental health or finances. Don’t be afraid to seek help. Try to not get too caught up in all the stress and burn out before exams. Take it at your own pace – you have time, but make sure to not leave everything last minute!
- Madeeha:
Join societies!! Don’t be afraid, whatever you do, just join join join, anything that peaks your interest just go for it. You’ll meet so many different people and make friends for life who have similar interests to you. Even if you’re a shy person, honestly just stick yourself out there. It is so worth it and being part of any group makes the entire experience that much more memorable.
Write up your notes again neatly, with extra added points, reference and everything straight after your lecture. Do not wait until reading week because it most likely is not going to happen. Later does not exist during uni. Tough it out and do it ASAP to save yourself the time and stress later.
Eat breakfast. Do not skip this. All you will be thinking about during your lecture is the fact that you are dying for some food and you’ll be concentrating on planning what you’re going to eat, instead of focusing on the content at hand. Eat some good breakfast to help you stay on task.
- Zarin:
Get off Skype! Seriously. If you’re living away from home, it can be so tempting to spend evenings talking to friends and family back home and updating them on the things you do and people you meet. But you have to balance it with actually doing things and meeting people. University life can be lonely and it’s comforting to see a familiar face that understands you but it can’t and shouldn’t last forever. Eventually, you’ll have to cut the cord and make new friendships happen. Better to do it when everyone is settling in and actively looking for friends rather than mid-year when your friends back home are too busy to talk and you suddenly find yourself alone.
Don’t assume you know everything about yourself. Especially at the start of uni, there are many opportunities to try different things and the most detrimental thing you can do is look at a sport or a society and think “that’s not me”. Universities have historically been places to immerse yourself in extracurricular activities (especially those you wouldn’t normally have access to) as much as academia. Don’t count yourself out – just because you haven’t done something or been a certain person before doesn’t mean you can’t. Unless your intention is to be the exact same person, hobbies and all, for the rest of your life, get yourself out there and start signing up to things.
Nobody knows you and you are not restrained to the person everyone thought you were. This is true of any day but reinvention is especially easy when starting a new phase, such as going to university. If there was ever a person you wanted to be, now is the time. There are no prior expectations of who you are and how you think or act. The only battle then to being your most authentic self is with your own self-consciousness and it’s best to fight that as soon as possible.
Unless your intention is to be the exact same person, hobbies and all, for the rest of your life, get yourself out there and start signing up to things.
- Roisin
Avoid turning your academic experience into a competition of who’s got the biggest workload and who’s studying the hardest, it’s a waste of energy because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing, you just have to get yourself through this experience/ordeal. Having said that, don’t isolate yourself either, keep in contact with your course mates and let off some steam about how stressed you are, sometimes it can help to hear that someone else is also struggling (as horrible as that sounds!).
Another major thing is to not get caught up in reputation and status of certain universities. Sure, there are some that are world recognised institutions and if you happen to go to one of them, good for you. But status isn’t everything; if you’re at a university you feel comfortable and able to achieve your best at, then that’s the most important thing. At the end of the day, a degree is a degree and it’s a remarkable achievement wherever it’s awarded from, so don’t get hung up on worrying that your institution isn’t as prestigious as others, just focus on doing the best you can do whilst you’re there.
If you’re not happy with something about the way your course or uni is run, speak up! You should have a personal tutor to speak to about any problems you may have, but if they’re not exactly helpful, there are plenty of other people you can turn to. Whether it be demanding lowering the price of coffee on the campus café or improving the administration side of things on your course, there is always someone you can talk to about any issues you’re having, such as your course reps or the student union. You’re paying enough to be there, so make sure your voice is heard when needs be.
Don’t forget that you and your course mates are colleagues and you’re all in the same boat, so help each other out, whether that be answering someone’s question on the course Facebook page, or setting up a study session with your friends. Talking problems over with your peers will help you to understand the content and remember it, there’s bound to be someone who gets the part you’re struggling with, and there’s also going to be things that you can help teach to others, which is also a great way to learn for yourself!
Lastly, remember that university is a platform; you can’t, or shouldn’t, coast through it, put yourself out there and make connections with academics about work placements early on (it is NEVER too early, by the way) and, if we haven’t mentioned this enough already, join societies! Where else are you going to get the chance to join something like the Extreme-Ice-Cream-Eating-Whilst-Playing-Polo-Dressed-As-Harry-Potter-Characters society?! Uni is an experience, not just a period of time, so make sure you get as much as you can out of it.
