Advice to have a less stressful uni experience.

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stressful experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 1

hotpud

18

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stress full experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Why will you have stress? If done well, there is no need to stress. The reason most students get stressed is because they don't put the effort in and it all becomes last minute. Get your essays done and handed in early and keep on top of your notes, revising as you go along and there is nothing to stress about.

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stress full experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Hi @kbbeatz,

How are you feeling about starting?

I study Psychology and I am going into my final year. As someone who gets very stressed very easily I can see the worry. It is normal to be worried about stressed and be stressed at certain points in your university journey. It is great that you are looking out for your future self already.

Some of the ways I have found to be helpful is to create spaces for myself. By this I mean only do work at university so I can relax at home. I try not to do work at home or in bed because then I will end up associating work with sleep or feel the need to work at home when I should be relaxing. Onto of this, relaxing means something different for everyone. Relaxing to me means making sure I am not thinking about work, the work I have to do or the work I have done. So to me, just watching Netflix is relaxing because I am engaging in a show (Friends is my go to comfort show!). Joining a creative society that holds weekly sessions or attending creative events regularly acts as breaks between your studies which could also help reduce stress. Take a look at what creative societies are offered at your university. I do have a few more tips which I will list so I don't go on and on!

- Take regular breaks (weekly and while studying)
- Work in a space where you feel the most calm (e.g. near a window so you can see nature)
- Talk to your university or external people if you feel the stress is becoming too much
- Set yourself mini deadlines and a bigger deadline before the actual deadline (pretend the deadline is a few days earlier than it is)
- Make use of timetables and diaries to plan (trying to plan everything in the moment can be stressful but will serve you in the long term in achieving your goals)

Similar to what @hotbed says, starting early helps a lot! Attacking a big task like preparing for an exam in chunks is a lot less stressful than doing it all at once a few days before your exam. If you are someone who is motivated by rewards, try find something small (maybe not food related or food related) that you can give yourself after finishing a task. For example, if you get a draft of your essay done before X date, treat yourself to to a book that you have been wanting to read or a day of absolutely nothing (which you can afford to do in this example because you started early!).

I hope this helps and remember to prioritise yourself! :smile:

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by hotpud

Why will you have stress? If done well, there is no need to stress. The reason most students get stressed is because they don't put the effort in and it all becomes last minute. Get your essays done and handed in early and keep on top of your notes, revising as you go along and there is nothing to stress about.

I would disagree with. I do all my work, i attend every lecture, i do the appropriate amount of revision, am always on top of work and deadlines and still feel stress. (i am on a highly stressful course) but you can't say just being on top of the work will mean there is no stress because thats not the cause for everyone. There's also life stress about being alone of the first time.

Reply 4

Arden University

17

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stress full experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

@kbbeatz
Hi, its natural to be a bit nervous about going to University. What I would say is to try and have the experience that YOU want to have, so if you like going out partying then do that, if you would prefer to join a book club and have a quieter experience and do that. I felt a lot of pressure as a 20 year old lad to have a stereotypical Uni experience.

A few general studying things I tell my students before they set off to Uni;

1) Budgeting your money, and there are some good student accounts out there that offer £100 to sign up (have a look on the Martin Lewis website) will take a lot of stress away. Try to avoid lending people money as it is often a source of conflict. See an overdraft as something to avoid not to rely on.

2) Design your own time table. By that I mean, look at the dates and times of your lessons and allocate time to study and to work if necessary

3) Remember that not every lecturer will be great in terms of meeting your preferred learning style. Buddy up with people in that class to help you understand the material if you are struggling

4) Remember that life is life, always prepare and save for the unexpected. My mate had quite a bad accident in her final year, and I fell in love, not sure what caused the most chaos to be honest. The best students adapt to the challenges that spring out of nowhere

Marc
Arden University Student Ambassador

Reply 5

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stress full experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Hey there!

The stress of uni can be minimised with some easy organisation. I used to work as if it was a 9 till 5 day on campus everyday, focusing on using those hours to work and only working outside of them if absolutely necessary. I would also schedule time to relax, because then I would be reminded to relax and distress if that makes sense? Also, for me, I found excersising really helped. I used to be a hater of moving, but once I started excersising, it was great for stressed as I started getting better sleep, it actually does make you feel good (used to believe it was a myth), and made sure I had time away from studies.

Remember you don't need to be studying 24/7 make time for yourself, be organised and it will be an amazing time.

Good luck
Kat

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stress full experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Hi there!

The best way I found to reduce stress is to get started early and plan ahead! Try and get started on assignments as you get them and plan the due dates in early so you can keep track of what you need to do! Don't worry too much right at the beginning, it may take you some time to work out which study methods and timekeeping methods work best for you. The first year is all about figuring out what works for you!

Starting university is a really exciting time! It's a great opportunity to meet new people who have similar interests to you. There will be loads of opportunities to meet the people on your course during welcome week and at the fairs, there will be loads of societies there - there's something for everyone!

Finally, make sure you budget your money from when you start to make sure you don't run out! Banking apps like Monzo are really helpful for this and allow you to put your money into different 'pots' .

I hope this helps :smile:

- Rebecca, 4th Year at UCLan

Reply 7

hotpud

18

Original post by Anonymous

I would disagree with. I do all my work, i attend every lecture, i do the appropriate amount of revision, am always on top of work and deadlines and still feel stress. (i am on a highly stressful course) but you can't say just being on top of the work will mean there is no stress because thats not the cause for everyone. There's also life stress about being alone of the first time.

Sure. But it's not significant enough to get stressed about. Life happens all the time.

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stressful experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Hello!

The best way to minimise stress is to get your ducks in a row, so to speak. Basically staying organised, which is easier said than done when you're being hounded with different deadlines :smile:

I would suggest investing in a really good planner/calendar early on before freshers and having a look at your modules and timetable and what you basically have to do before you start. And once you get in the groove of things, take at least 30 mins at the end of each day to look at your planner and see what deadlines you have coming up. Staying on top of things is the best way to minimise stress.

As for coursework, I would highly recommend using your independent study time wisely and getting in all that pre-reading done before your lectures. I guarantee you, it will help in the long run. Create a study schedule if you have to, with which modules you're planning on focusing on every day and how many hours/pages you plan to read.

Most importantly, start early when revising/studying for exams. If you start earlier, you're less likely to panic and pull all nighters days before the exam which is counterproductive.

Goodluck and I hope this information helps!

-Ghala
(Official DU Rep)

Reply 9

Anonymous #1

Original post by hotpud

Sure. But it's not significant enough to get stressed about. Life happens all the time.

Life does happen all the time and for some people that feels stressful! I wish I could like not feel stressed all the tome

Reply 10

University of Huddersfield

Official Rep

16

@kbbeatz

Here are a few tips to reduce stress at uni.

Set an alarm! It's fine to have a day or two when you have a lie-in but you can lose so much time by not making the most of the mornings. Everyone has different work preferences, you might work better in the evenings, but definitely try and give yourself the time you need to get the work done by not using all your time sleeping, being on social media etc...If you begin to feel stressed about getting assignments done, think about how you are using your time. Are you spending too long food shopping or cooking? Is lunch the whole afternoon instead of (at most) an hour? Are you always out so you never have time to start that essay? Use your time wisely.

Try and revise throughout the academic year. Whether that's writing out some revision notes/ cards at the end of a topic that you can later use for your exams, pinning some core information/facts on your noticeboard so you can go over it during the week or finding a mnemonic that you will use. You might not be able to do as much revision as you would like throughout the year, as you will go through multiple topics, but that little bit will mean that you won't have to worry about writing revision cards just before your exams or trying to come up with lots of mnemonics.

Make time to rest. If you don't make rest a part of your timetable then you will not rest enough or you could end up feeling guilty when you are resting or feel unsure whether you should be working or resting. Block out the time in your diary for a couple of societies. These societies should refresh you and be a nice break from your studies. Block out time to meet up with a friend/s or to go the gym. Block out time to catch up with family: phone or video call them. Block out a whole day where you can rest your mind and body and refresh your soul. Block out time.

Don't panic! There might be a problem with the washing machine or dryer. There might be a power cut. It might snow. You might get ill just before a deadline is due. You might overspend. You might forget a family birthday or miss your train home. There are a lot of things that could happen, and you can't stop or prevent problems occurring, but if you stay calm and work through your options: what you can and can't do, you can face things with less stress and grow in your ability to handle problems.

Look after yourself and reach out to others. If you are eating well, getting the right nutrients in your body, if you are drinking enough water and getting enough sleep, you are in a better position to handle stress. If you are getting regular exercise then you also have a great outlet for any stress that might be building in your body. There will be lots of things that you could do, but make sure that along with getting assignments done and meeting new people that you are looking are yourself physically, mentally and if you are religious, spiritually. If you don't have a clue about that assignment or you feel stressed out by a module it is likely that others feel the same. Talk to your course mates. Ask for help or if they know any useful resources or have any tips for remembering content. Talk to others about how to handle a noisy housemate or the best place to buy coffee or what's on in town/happening this week in the city. Reach out to others. It will not only help you feel less alone with whatever you're facing but also help you bond with others and form friendships.

Hope that helps.

All the best,

Oluwatosin – 2nd year student – University of Huddersfield

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stressful experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Hi!
I have just started my second year of university and my best advice would be to keep a planner of some description and give yourself around three tasks per day. For example my tasks for one day might be; do laundry, write 500 words for an essay and dance practice. I have found this to be a great way to manage the small tasks that seem to build up as well as bigger ones such as assignments.
Hope this helps! Faye :smile:

Original post by kbbeatz

Hey everyone, I’m starting uni soon and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to have a less stressful experience. I know I will have stress but if I can minimise it, I’d be happy. Does anyone have any advice in terms of coursework, exams etc?

Hi @kbbeatz,

This is a great question, and hopefully these responses can help others too. You're likely to feel stress at some point during your university experience as you said, but there are definitely ways you can minimize this.

I found that keeping a detailed schedule worked well for me. I wrote down all of my assignment deadlines and anything else I had to do at a specific time or day, and this way I could see the free time I had to either study or relax. This helped to make me less stressed about missing important deadlines, and I could effectively plan when to start each assignment so I got it done in time.

Contribute in class if you can, make sure you attend each class, and take notes. I found that if I fell behind, I got stressed. You can always ask your classmates for help too - you might find they're feeling the same.

Ask for help! Ask your lecturers and other staff if you don't understand something, miss something, or need some extra support. There are loads of resources at your university and in your community that you can utilize to help you, such as study and support groups.

Take time for yourself. This is really important. Make sure you take time out of your schedule to do something you enjoy regularly, whether that be something active or just relaxing with your favourite show. Balance is really important at university, and taking time away from your studies can help you to do better and reduce stress.

Best of luck, and I hope this helps!
Isabella

Advice to have a less stressful uni experience.

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