It's that time of year again. A-Level results day has been and gone, clearing's all over, and the next generation of first years are embarking on an educational foray into adulthood.
After the success of last year's 5 Tips for Starting University, I thought I'd share 5 more of my tips. I have been to uni twice now, so I do kind of know what I'm talking about, guys. Hope they help!
Experience
Do some work experience and internships, if you can. Make sure your CV isn't completely empty. Grab any opportunities you can with both hands. It doesn't necessarily have to be related to your course either. For instance, I studied an arty Joint Honours degree, but volunteered at my local hospital. On one occasion, in a job interview, an interviewer told me that it was that placement that got me the interview in the first place. So get as much experience outside your course as possible!
Be sensible
Don't overdo the drinking. Go out and have fun, by all means, but don't go over the top. Your fellow students won't appreciate it when you turn up to every single lecture or seminar hungover and grumpy. Especially if your course contains a lot of group work, like mine did. You need to maintain a good work/life balance, but don't let your grades suffer at the hands of going out all the time. You'll have to rein it in eventually.
Halls or home?
Do whatever feels right for you. I personally stayed at home both times, which saved heaps of money, but it also impacted on the social side of uni. I knew that I probably wouldn't be happy with living in halls, so I ended up commuting instead. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for doing one or the other. It really does depend on what feels right for you.
What if it's all too overwhelming?
If you're struggling to adapt to uni life, there are people available to support you. Go to your SU and ask for them to put you in touch with someone who might be able to help. Just remember that it will get better, and everybody worries about whether they're on the right course or whether uni is right for them from time to time; but just stick at it. It's all worth it when you get to prance about in a mortarboard and cape thing.
Don't blow your student loan in one go
Don't spend all your loan and bursary when you first get it. Try and be sensible here. Work out how much money you've got to spend each week, and stick to it. I know it's tempting to nip into the MAC store and blow it all on lipsticks, but you can't afford to. Take it from someone who was terrible with their student loan. You don't want to have to go crawling back to mum and dad for a loan because you've spent all your cash weeks before your next payment. Try and keep a track of your finances. Trust me, it's important to.
And here's a bonus tip for recent graduates: Don't panic when your student loan statements arrive. Every single year I get a statement with a perpetually rising figure, due to interest that I never signed up to pay, but I'm not earning enough money to pay anything back yet. What my friends have been telling me for ages has finally sunk in: there's no point in worrying about it, because there's nothing you can do right now. Just accept it, and try to put that horrifying amount of debt to the back of your mind for now.
What advice would you have for new students?
Katie
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Is it nearly that time of year ALREADY? A-Level results day has been and gone, and now it's almost time for the academic year to start. It's three years since I finished Uni now, but I'm about to start a Masters! So, here are my top 5 tips for those of you who are starting Uni!
Enjoy it! (Because it'll be over before you know it!)
Those three years will fly by, trust me. So, have fun! And knuckle down and get a good degree too, obviously...
Being a student isn't all about hard work, it's time to enjoy early adulthood, before you're back down to earth with a bump as a graduate. In all honesty, I don't really think anything prepares you for the shock of leaving Uni for the 'real world'. So, enjoy your time as a student!
Get the work/life balance sorted.
During my third year of Uni, I was pretty close to burning out all the time. By the time I left, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. Don't make that mistake. Make sure that you leave time for socialising and having fun, because it'll make the hard work so much easier to contend with!
I really can't stress enough how important it is to look after yourself. Make sure you eat properly, sleep as well as you can, and don't drink too much. (And that's my cue to move on, as I probably sound like your Mum.)
Make sure you're doing the right course.
Now, that might sound like a really stupid point, but there are several people I went to Uni with who ended up swapping courses along the way. Sometimes, that means that you'll end up with a bigger loan hanging over you. So, it pays to make sure that you're doing what you'll enjoy, and what'll get you decent career prospects too.
You definitely don't want to make the mistake that I did the first time round, by picking a course that won't get you a proper PAID job. Make sure that you get plenty of experience relating to your post-uni career of choice too, while you're still a student, because that'll really help your job prospects.
Grab as many opportunities as you can, seek them out yourself, because they're not going to just come to you.
You definitely don't want to make the mistake that I did the first time round, by picking a course that won't get you a proper PAID job. Make sure that you get plenty of experience relating to your post-uni career of choice too, while you're still a student, because that'll really help your job prospects.
Grab as many opportunities as you can, seek them out yourself, because they're not going to just come to you.
Spend your first year settling in & getting used to things.
I don't know if all Unis are the same as the one that I went to in this respect, but my first year didn't count at all towards my final degree classification. So, that meant that I could spend the first year finding my feet and getting to grips with university life. (And Harvard Referencing, because it's surprisingly hard... Especially if you're rushing it hours before your deadline.)
This also helped us to get used to the University system: the grading, the coursework submission, and all of the other student-y admin stuff. That doesn't mean to say that you don't need to try very hard, but it's a lovely not to have the extra pressure of worrying about your final classification piled on.
Keep organised.
Nothing will help you through Uni more than getting organised. (Except intelligence, perhaps.) Seriously, honing your time management skills and devising some sort of helpful schedule will keep you sane! You probably don't need telling that you'll need to keep track of deadlines, exams, and lectures/tutorials/seminars, so treat yourself to an academic diary. (Because everybody likes buying new stationery!)
And if you're on a budget? Use a handy free calendar app like iCal or Sunrise Calendar instead!
KatieAnd if you're on a budget? Use a handy free calendar app like iCal or Sunrise Calendar instead!
Are you headed to Uni? Let me know in the comments if you've got any questions or advice!
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