#THEUniAdvice: advice for starting university
We asked on Twitter for tips for first year university students and received many creative and interesting responses. Here are some of the best
Seeta Bhardwa
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As you put the final touches to your university packing, the fear can begin to settle in. Will I be the dumbest person in my seminars? Will I make any friends? Will I be able to keep up with the workload?
But fear not. These are things that almost every new university student will experience at some point. And it is important to know that you aren't the only person feeling scared and apprehensive about going to university.
So we sent out a call on Twitter asking those who had been through university to share some pearls of wisdom, that can hopefully make the first few weeks of university less scary. For even more advice on going to university search #THEUniAdvice on Twitter.
Don’t worry too much about contact hours - you’ll do a lot of independent learning.
— Phil Baty (@Phil_Baty)
The gym analogy is right: you should demand the right equipment and strong advice & guidance, but ultimately you have to put the work in yourself.
Related: don't worry if Freshers' Week turns out to be a bit.. rubbish. It's one week of many, you may well be feeling a bit discombobulated, and the stuff you'll remember - and which will change your life - is yet to come.
— John Gill (@JG_THE)
Buy a bicycle in your first term. Will help you get the most out of sports & other facilities on campus + you're less likely to be late for lectures or seminars
— Jack Grove (@jgro_the)
No question is a stupid question. If you’re thinking it the chances are someone else in the class is too. ALWAYS ask!
— Caroline Troy (@CarolineTroy)
Everyone is nervous, nobody arrives rounded and ready, that's the point. You are there to learn to live and learn.
— Pete Quinn (@peteqconsult)
Don’t bother talking to the people who ask which school you went to. Act confident even if you don’t feel it. It will get you a long way...
— Phil Baty (@Phil_Baty)
It's that time of year for some more - my tip if uni means moving away for the first time would be don't worry if you feel homesick. It does pass and then you won't look back...
— Simon Baker (@higherbaker)
It doesn’t matter how confident some people appear. The big unifier is that no-one in your year will have been to university before and everyone will feel just as nervous
— Tim Sowula (@timsowula)
Not everyone you think is cleverer than you is cleverer than you. Some are. But some are just gobby loud mouths. It’ll be fine. You’ll find your voice
— Dr Steven Vaughan (@lawvaughan)
US edition: You might not meet your life-long best friends until your junior year but when you do they'll be the real deal. Also, take more art classes.
— Sara Custer (@sarakcuster)
About exams: create a plan with your daily goals (pages to study, hours spent studying etc). Reward yourself when you succeed. Don't blame yourself when you don't (plans are made to be broken), but use failure as motivation for the following day.
— sara canduzzi (@saracanduzzi)
Embrace not being sure who you are or what you want to do. Try each new day on like a new outfit and see how it fits.
— Tim Daplyn (@TimAtRedBrick)
Go to everything on your timetable. Catching-up later is less effective and takes more time.
— Dr Suzanna Forwood (@SuzannaWood)
At the start of each year I tried to completely change how I studied. Coloured pens, fancy stationery, new folders, all at once. Three weeks later, back to sloppy notes!
— StudyHigher Berkshire (@StudyHigherBerk)
Small changes and improve day-by-day instead: you'll keep it up that way.
Passing and high grades might be what gets you a job after university, but your skill and what you've actually learnt is what will make you excel at it. So whatever you do, engage with your studies - don't just show up enough to pass
— Dr Chris Moore (@Ceemour)
Buy a bicycle in your first term. Will help you get the most out of sports & other facilities on campus + you're less likely to be late for lectures or seminars
— Jack Grove (@jgro_the)
That tonsillitis can be debilitating if left untreated.
— Cerys (@Panderys83)
Remember the place you are living is almost as important as the degree you are studying. Make the most of exploring a new city/town
— Joan Holloway (@JoanHolloway101)
If you’re commuting in don’t just come in for a lecture and leave as soon as it’s over - join clubs and societies! And also make the most of every opportunity offered to you!
— Rachel (@rachel_davies_)
Learn 3-5 easy dishes to cook so you aren't reliant on takeaways and ready meals: Pasta, stir fry, fajitas, and a quick curry or chilli are easy to learn and will be much better for you and your wallet
— Times Higher Student (@THEUniAdvice)
Mine: Snakebite and black is not actually very nice.
— Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)
Evelyn Waugh: 'it was normal to spend one’s second year shaking off the fiiends of one’s first'.
Read more: catch up on last year's #THEUniAdvice here
