Something you wish you knew before starting Uni
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Original post by Little Popcorns
Yep the general policy except for with dissertations was not to check students essays before they hand them in as coursework 
you just have to make do with what you hear in lectures and tutorials which is ridiculous imo...
Studied Law.
you just have to make do with what you hear in lectures and tutorials which is ridiculous imo... Studied Law.
I think ours was somewhat similar, thinking about it. Though we did have practise essays so we could get feedback before the actual exam, so that wasn't too bad I suppose.
Yeah it is hard to learn purely from those, but at the same time I quite like the independence.
Ah I study Law too! Nice to know that law schools are somewhat similar then.
Original post by Anonymous
I get what you mean I've heard it quite a lot from some past students that have ended up somewhere completely different from what they studied. I feel as if they don't represent a true result of university and it placed many students at a false sense of security with their education :/
Basically uni is what you make it. If you know what you are aiming for and work for it, then there is pretty much nothing stopping you.
Your life won't magically improve by going to uni 
That prestige isn't everything.
When I applied I had 5 unconditional offers all to great universities, but I was sucked in by one that has long been regarded as one of the best in Britain and accepted my offer, barely giving a second thought to the rest of them. In retrospect, that was a shocking decision, as 2 years later I hate almost everything about it. I'm stuck in a small town with virtually no nightlife, insufficient housing and expensive everything. I've made barely any friends as almost everyone comes from a completely different world than I do. As for the course itself, it's much harder-going than it would be at a less "high-up" uni. I'm in every day and am never without homework or due assignments. I can handle it, but I do get envious of people studying elsewhere who have so much more free time to actually get involved with the wider university community. The loneliness, lack of money and disdain for my degree have really had a knock-on effect this year. My motivation has been at an all-time low, I started smoking again, and have skipped more classes than I care to admit.
I'm feeling a bit more human now as I have just moved into a flat in a nearby city, which means I need spend no more time than necessary in the town. But the more time I spend here, the more I wish I'd come to this city's university, for which I had an unconditional. It's not as prestigious as my uni, but it's still good, and I think I'd be much more content here.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that one should deliberately choose a poor university, of course you should aim to get the best education that you can achieve. However, there's a much wider picture to university than a distinguished name. You need to carefully consider all the necessary factors before making your decision. No piece of paper is worth up to 5 years of abject misery.
When I applied I had 5 unconditional offers all to great universities, but I was sucked in by one that has long been regarded as one of the best in Britain and accepted my offer, barely giving a second thought to the rest of them. In retrospect, that was a shocking decision, as 2 years later I hate almost everything about it. I'm stuck in a small town with virtually no nightlife, insufficient housing and expensive everything. I've made barely any friends as almost everyone comes from a completely different world than I do. As for the course itself, it's much harder-going than it would be at a less "high-up" uni. I'm in every day and am never without homework or due assignments. I can handle it, but I do get envious of people studying elsewhere who have so much more free time to actually get involved with the wider university community. The loneliness, lack of money and disdain for my degree have really had a knock-on effect this year. My motivation has been at an all-time low, I started smoking again, and have skipped more classes than I care to admit.
I'm feeling a bit more human now as I have just moved into a flat in a nearby city, which means I need spend no more time than necessary in the town. But the more time I spend here, the more I wish I'd come to this city's university, for which I had an unconditional. It's not as prestigious as my uni, but it's still good, and I think I'd be much more content here.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that one should deliberately choose a poor university, of course you should aim to get the best education that you can achieve. However, there's a much wider picture to university than a distinguished name. You need to carefully consider all the necessary factors before making your decision. No piece of paper is worth up to 5 years of abject misery.
Original post by jack0634
That prestige isn't everything.
When I applied I had 5 unconditional offers all to great universities, but I was sucked in by one that has long been regarded as one of the best in Britain and accepted my offer, barely giving a second thought to the rest of them. In retrospect, that was a shocking decision, as 2 years later I hate almost everything about it. I'm stuck in a small town with virtually no nightlife, insufficient housing and expensive everything. I've made barely any friends as almost everyone comes from a completely different world than I do. As for the course itself, it's much harder-going than it would be at a less "high-up" uni. I'm in every day and am never without homework or due assignments. I can handle it, but I do get envious of people studying elsewhere who have so much more free time to actually get involved with the wider university community. The loneliness, lack of money and disdain for my degree have really had a knock-on effect this year. My motivation has been at an all-time low, I started smoking again, and have skipped more classes than I care to admit.
I'm feeling a bit more human now as I have just moved into a flat in a nearby city, which means I need spend no more time than necessary in the town. But the more time I spend here, the more I wish I'd come to this city's university, for which I had an unconditional. It's not as prestigious as my uni, but it's still good, and I think I'd be much more content here.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that one should deliberately choose a poor university, of course you should aim to get the best education that you can achieve. However, there's a much wider picture to university than a distinguished name. You need to carefully consider all the necessary factors before making your decision. No piece of paper is worth up to 5 years of abject misery.
When I applied I had 5 unconditional offers all to great universities, but I was sucked in by one that has long been regarded as one of the best in Britain and accepted my offer, barely giving a second thought to the rest of them. In retrospect, that was a shocking decision, as 2 years later I hate almost everything about it. I'm stuck in a small town with virtually no nightlife, insufficient housing and expensive everything. I've made barely any friends as almost everyone comes from a completely different world than I do. As for the course itself, it's much harder-going than it would be at a less "high-up" uni. I'm in every day and am never without homework or due assignments. I can handle it, but I do get envious of people studying elsewhere who have so much more free time to actually get involved with the wider university community. The loneliness, lack of money and disdain for my degree have really had a knock-on effect this year. My motivation has been at an all-time low, I started smoking again, and have skipped more classes than I care to admit.
I'm feeling a bit more human now as I have just moved into a flat in a nearby city, which means I need spend no more time than necessary in the town. But the more time I spend here, the more I wish I'd come to this city's university, for which I had an unconditional. It's not as prestigious as my uni, but it's still good, and I think I'd be much more content here.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that one should deliberately choose a poor university, of course you should aim to get the best education that you can achieve. However, there's a much wider picture to university than a distinguished name. You need to carefully consider all the necessary factors before making your decision. No piece of paper is worth up to 5 years of abject misery.
Sorry to hear that
but thanks for the meaningful advice. Good luck with your degree
Original post by Zoeyyyyyyyy
Sorry to hear that but thanks for the meaningful advice.
Good luck with your degree
but thanks for the meaningful advice. Good luck with your degree
Aw thank you, and you too
I wish I knew studying on the job was going to make me more successful than wasting all my money on a degree that didn't benefit me. Uni was a great learning curve for me but in terms of career it amounted to nothing but debt. I built my career eventually from starting at the bottom in paid employment and working my way up taking every course that became available to me. In 4 years I became fully trained in my field without paying a penny. Uni gave me confidence and social skills but it didn't pay the bills. Unless you are doing a vocational degree it's a big risk...gone are the days where we can do a history or science degree and expect a decent wage at the end of it or a guaranteed job. As an employer I like to see experience, and an understanding of the role as opposed to 2nd hand knowledge from the classroom. Hairdressers /mechanics re a great example of how leaving school and taking on apprenticeships early on can give you great success. They are debt free, buying their own homes and starting their own businesses at young ages. Graduates are leaving uni, travelling to South America and coming back to work in call centres and admin roles. I did 2 degrees science the first and fashion design the 2nd. I was lucky enough to be funded by parents....however I now work as a nurse associate managing a team within 4 years of working bottom up. I got paid as I worked, begged my employer to fund my training and succeeded in building a fulfilled and respectable career in the health care field. Unless you want to become lawyer dentist or doctor a degree isn't going to open extra doors for you without relevant experience. I'll never regret uni days as I was lucky to study 2 subjects of interests but making dresses for friends and winning science questions in trivial pursuit isn't the university dream that was sold to me. It all depends on what you hope to get at the end. I thought I would become a dentist but when I did my training I realised i couldn't stomach looking at teeth all day plus I couldn't pass the exams no matter how much I studied. There are so many different careers and vocations that are available to us right now that we should be making the most of . I started my career 4 years ago in a nursing home and pushed my company too put me through training, when they said no I pushed again. I got paid all the while and qualifications at level5 without having to put my hand in my pocket. I applied for a job 10x better than me and I got it I wouldn't have that input or confidence if ok hasn't seen the workings of the system first hand. It hasn't been easy but all the more rewarding and the best part is I didn't have to put on that weird uni accent that every ine oes but that pissed every one off. "You know?" And not everything is "Randomly bizzaree" and I can dress in normal clothes that fit my body shape and iron them if they're creased and I can talk about normal things like eating meat and watching TV instead of being vegan and listening to podcasts. Not slamming students at all unless your courss is guaranredd to register you as an accredited professional at the end it's Just not worth it.
Original post by PhoenixFortune
To learn ASAP how to write proper academic assignments. I had ridiculously backward habits to start with: like writing my essay and then looking for references that supported my points, only reading the abstract of academic papers without checking how relevant the finer details of the papers were, doing the reading/planning/writing of my assignments at the very last minute, and going way too far over the word limit EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
How did you overcome this? ... I'm still struggling with this
Original post by Gadhoodhle
How did you overcome this? ... I'm still struggling with this
Which bit are struggling with the most?
Generally, I made sure that I started preparing for assignments much earlier (even if that meant writing an earlier due date in my planner to trick myself). That gave me time to work out what exactly I was being asked to do, and how to do it. I went to my university's study skills department for help, and also read study skills books and websites to help focus my mind on writing correctly.
Original post by jonathanemptage
I wish I knew how to properly revise for exams (I do know now) it would have saved me many (ok 2) resits
How do you study for them?
Original post by nabilahhh
How do you study for them?
You look through old papers and try the questions you’ll see a lot of a certain type of questions come up again and again you concentrate on those topics and of course practice I know it’s what everyone says but it works.
Original post by jonathanemptage
You look through old papers and try the questions you’ll see a lot of a certain type of questions come up again and again you concentrate on those topics and of course practice I know it’s what everyone says but it works.
So I was looking through my exam essay passed papers and some of the topics came up again. Since I don’t know what to study for, should I study the things that came up!
Original post by nabilahhh
So I was looking through my exam essay passed papers and some of the topics came up again. Since I don’t know what to study for, should I study the things that came up!
In short yes.
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