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How to get a first class in economy?

HII , So I am starting my economics degree first year in a few months and I was wondering do you guys have any tips or advice to reach that first class. It could be referencing, writing , around going out or interacting with lecture or hoe you take notes etc... any advice is appreciated

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Just treat things as a 9-5 job and work dilligently during your "hours". Honestly most of the people I've known who consistently got 1sts weren't some kind of super geniuses (well, some were as well) but were just very consistent in making sure they got up and go to campus at 9 and then just worked through things until 5 (going to lectures/labs/tutorials/etc in between, plus having some time for lunch and the odd break). This meant they didn't spend all evening and weekends working at the last minute to catch up on things, and also meant they got started on stuff early enough they had plenty of time to plan it out and think it through, and plenty of time to read well beyond the specifics of the lecture notes to develop their knowledge of their field enough that they can write relatively original material for any long form prose assignments (or for more problem based ones, have more than likely seen a similar example somewhere before).

It seems kind of obvious in retrospect but it's easy to forget that you're expected to effectively be spending the same amount of time as you would on a full time job on your degree. Since it's many student's first real sense of "freedom" and the associated need to actually structure their own time though I suppose less surprising. But anyway really just being disciplined and consistent with your approach to the course, making a point of "clocking in" and "clocking out" each day mentally, will do a lot to put you in the right situation to do well, both in terms of having the time to keep on top of everything as above, and also giving yourself the mental space to avoid burning out, by being able to say "yes I'm finished for the day" and not feeling like there's something you should be doing instead!

Don't think there are any special note-taking skills beyond just writing notes by hand that will significantly affect things (although writing notes by hand vs typing during lectures has been proven to improve recall, so it is worth handwriting your notes in the lecture itself - typesetting afterwards would be up to you if you wanted to although I don't think enormously productive as a use of time honestly). Note that brown-nosing with lecturers will not get you a 1st. Using any available office hours on the other hand can be a good thing to get into the habit of, although remember this is for the purpose of bringing a specific problem that you've encountered and crucially, already attempted to solve and have some ideas of where things went wrong and/or where to go next, but are not certain on the specifics.

Reply 2

University of Liverpool Student Rep

Hi there,

So I have 3 top tips which should be useful for you!

1) Don't wait until the last minute to start studying. Start early and give yourself plenty of time to learn the material. Also you should make sure that you attend all lectures and tutorials. This is the best way to learn the material and get help from your lecturers and tutors.Get help if you need it. Also beyond this, don't be afraid to ask for help if you're struggling with the material. There are many resources available to help you, such as your lecturers, tutors, and fellow students.
2) Do lots of practice questions/exams. There are many practice questions available online and in textbooks. Doing practice questions will help you to learn the material and to get used to the format of exams.
3) Stay motivated. It's important to stay motivated, especially when the going gets tough. Remember why you want to get a 1st in economics and focus on your goals!!

Best of luck in your studies and I hope it goes well :smile: