The Student Room Group

What is university actually like?

What is university actually like for a lot of you? when I was younger I always thought of it as a place where you just work and work to the bone, there was no free time or anything. And the exams are brutal. Is it actually like that? I start my first year in September (well hopefully not sure with this Rona going on) and course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions. And yes, I know college and university is completely different especially when it comes to work. Speaking of work, since I did btec would that effect me in uni? I'm not the brightest, ESPECIALLY when it comes to maths but when it comes to technology I'm also so so intrigued, and btw I'm study computing in NTU.
Another thing I wanted to ask for computing related courses should I be worried about the exams? I was only ever good and the BTEC ICT ones where I would pass with flying colours. I don't want to go in with a mentality thinking I'm dumb or not good enough but just be straight with me guys.

Additional, I'm staying in an accomodation I wanted to ask do people respect your stuff such as your food and things you do in the kitchen? I'll be in my first year. I also hear what l like to say nonsense about halls being chaos etc.
Original post by ChrisRock
What is university actually like for a lot of you? when I was younger I always thought of it as a place where you just work and work to the bone, there was no free time or anything. And the exams are brutal. Is it actually like that? I start my first year in September (well hopefully not sure with this Rona going on) and course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions. And yes, I know college and university is completely different especially when it comes to work. Speaking of work, since I did btec would that effect me in uni? I'm not the brightest, ESPECIALLY when it comes to maths but when it comes to technology I'm also so so intrigued, and btw I'm study computing in NTU.
Another thing I wanted to ask for computing related courses should I be worried about the exams? I was only ever good and the BTEC ICT ones where I would pass with flying colours. I don't want to go in with a mentality thinking I'm dumb or not good enough but just be straight with me guys.

Additional, I'm staying in an accomodation I wanted to ask do people respect your stuff such as your food and things you do in the kitchen? I'll be in my first year. I also hear what l like to say nonsense about halls being chaos etc.

Hey @ChrisRock! :smile:

I found that university was not what I was expecting at all, but not in a bad way, and as a recent graduate, I can say I've loved my time at university. :smile: I don't study computing so can't comment on that, but can about my general experience of university. :smile:

How much time you have really just depends on how much you want to put into your studies and what your course requires from you. You could do the bare minimum necessary and have lots of free time, or you could put in extra work and not. I would say that I put in the average amount, and had plenty of free time though! :smile: I think finding a balance is great for your wellbeing, and though it may take a while to get to used to, this will be highly beneficial for you and your time at university! :smile:

I think watching some youtube vlogs would be an interesting and great way to have a look what a week in the life looks like, especially someone who studies the same course as you will be. Again, you could also see if there are videos of people talking about their university experience which might help :smile:

Regarding living with people and the kitchen, it's so hard to say because it just depends on who you end up living with. Overall I'd say most people are respectful, but if you do have any problems though, there will be people you can get in touch with. Halls can be a bit chaotic, again it varies though based on who lives there. It will no doubt be different from what you're used to, but it's quite easy to adapt! :smile:

Hope that helps a bit! :smile: If you have more questions, I'd love to help!

Courtney -- Official Student Rep :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by University of Portsmouth Student Rep
Hey @ChrisRock! :smile:

I found that university was not what I was expecting at all, but not in a bad way, and as a recent graduate, I can say I've loved my time at university. :smile: I don't study computing so can't comment on that, but can about my general experience of university. :smile:

How much time you have really just depends on how much you want to put into your studies and what your course requires from you. You could do the bare minimum necessary and have lots of free time, or you could put in extra work and not. I would say that I put in the average amount, and had plenty of free time though! :smile: I think finding a balance is great for your wellbeing, and though it may take a while to get to used to, this will be highly beneficial for you and your time at university! :smile:

I think watching some youtube vlogs would be an interesting and great way to have a look what a week in the life looks like, especially someone who studies the same course as you will be. Again, you could also see if there are videos of people talking about their university experience which might help :smile:

Regarding living with people and the kitchen, it's so hard to say because it just depends on who you end up living with. Overall I'd say most people are respectful, but if you do have any problems though, there will be people you can get in touch with. Halls can be a bit chaotic, again it varies though based on who lives there. It will no doubt be different from what you're used to, but it's quite easy to adapt! :smile:

Hope that helps a bit! :smile: If you have more questions, I'd love to help!

Courtney -- Official Student Rep :smile:


thanks for the reply !
Original post by ChrisRock
What is university actually like for a lot of you? when I was younger I always thought of it as a place where you just work and work to the bone, there was no free time or anything. And the exams are brutal. Is it actually like that? I start my first year in September (well hopefully not sure with this Rona going on) and course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions. And yes, I know college and university is completely different especially when it comes to work. Speaking of work, since I did btec would that effect me in uni? I'm not the brightest, ESPECIALLY when it comes to maths but when it comes to technology I'm also so so intrigued, and btw I'm study computing in NTU.
Another thing I wanted to ask for computing related courses should I be worried about the exams? I was only ever good and the BTEC ICT ones where I would pass with flying colours. I don't want to go in with a mentality thinking I'm dumb or not good enough but just be straight with me guys.

Additional, I'm staying in an accomodation I wanted to ask do people respect your stuff such as your food and things you do in the kitchen? I'll be in my first year. I also hear what l like to say nonsense about halls being chaos etc.

A lot of questions! Let's start with the easy one - people will not respect your stuff, your milk butter and jam will be half-inched for sure. Be careful with your wallet and laptop or iPad especially at the start of term. Thieves wander round looking like students and will nick anything. That dies down because people get to know each other so strangers then stick out like a sore thumb.

Uni is a wonderful experience if you go there with the right attitude. Just like when you started senior school or college it can be awkward at first because people are getting used to each other, the rooms, the lectures etc. Everyone is in the same boat so don't worry. If you join some social clubs - football, hockey etc you will quickly get a great social life going. There will always be the students on your course too. You need to be spending 30% of your time enjoying uni life - especially in 1st year where the grades don't matter and the course is not too tough.

You mention that you are going to NTU - Nottingham is a great student city so you will love it. It's too late now but you should have looked at the course modules in more detail and picked a course which had few exams and more course work since that is your strength. I am not sure what the mix is like at NTU. You will need to be strong on the math front. There are lots of free MOOCs available on math and stats that you can work through now to prepare you.

You will love uni.
Reply 4
Original post by mike23mike
A lot of questions! Let's start with the easy one - people will not respect your stuff, your milk butter and jam will be half-inched for sure. Be careful with your wallet and laptop or iPad especially at the start of term. Thieves wander round looking like students and will nick anything. That dies down because people get to know each other so strangers then stick out like a sore thumb.

Uni is a wonderful experience if you go there with the right attitude. Just like when you started senior school or college it can be awkward at first because people are getting used to each other, the rooms, the lectures etc. Everyone is in the same boat so don't worry. If you join some social clubs - football, hockey etc you will quickly get a great social life going. There will always be the students on your course too. You need to be spending 30% of your time enjoying uni life - especially in 1st year where the grades don't matter and the course is not too tough.

You mention that you are going to NTU - Nottingham is a great student city so you will love it. It's too late now but you should have looked at the course modules in more detail and picked a course which had few exams and more course work since that is your strength. I am not sure what the mix is like at NTU. You will need to be strong on the math front. There are lots of free MOOCs available on math and stats that you can work through now to prepare you.

You will love uni.


thanks for the response
Reply 5
Original post by mike23mike
A lot of questions! Let's start with the easy one - people will not respect your stuff, your milk butter and jam will be half-inched for sure. Be careful with your wallet and laptop or iPad especially at the start of term. Thieves wander round looking like students and will nick anything. That dies down because people get to know each other so strangers then stick out like a sore thumb.

Uni is a wonderful experience if you go there with the right attitude. Just like when you started senior school or college it can be awkward at first because people are getting used to each other, the rooms, the lectures etc. Everyone is in the same boat so don't worry. If you join some social clubs - football, hockey etc you will quickly get a great social life going. There will always be the students on your course too. You need to be spending 30% of your time enjoying uni life - especially in 1st year where the grades don't matter and the course is not too tough.

You mention that you are going to NTU - Nottingham is a great student city so you will love it. It's too late now but you should have looked at the course modules in more detail and picked a course which had few exams and more course work since that is your strength. I am not sure what the mix is like at NTU. You will need to be strong on the math front. There are lots of free MOOCs available on math and stats that you can work through now to prepare you.

You will love uni.


Screenshot_20200630-164541_Samsung Internet-compressed.jpg.jpeg

regarding my uni course
Original post by ChrisRock
Screenshot_20200630-164541_Samsung Internet-compressed.jpg.jpeg

regarding my uni course


Great, you struck gold. Assuming year 1 module results don't count towards your final mark the bulk of the module marks are skewed to course work. 73% in year 2 and 83% in year 3. It means you can work steadily on your coursework from week 3 onwards (you will not have covered enough of the material in weeks 1 and 2 for you to make a start on the coursework until week 3). Course work is normally submitted in weeks 9 and 10.

Uni life is like a marathon and not a sprint. Chip away at your course work each week and you will not be left having to pull all-nighters in week 9 and 10 trying to get it all done.
Original post by ChrisRock
What is university actually like for a lot of you? when I was younger I always thought of it as a place where you just work and work to the bone, there was no free time or anything. And the exams are brutal. Is it actually like that? I start my first year in September (well hopefully not sure with this Rona going on) and course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions. And yes, I know college and university is completely different especially when it comes to work. Speaking of work, since I did btec would that effect me in uni? I'm not the brightest, ESPECIALLY when it comes to maths but when it comes to technology I'm also so so intrigued, and btw I'm study computing in NTU.
Another thing I wanted to ask for computing related courses should I be worried about the exams? I was only ever good and the BTEC ICT ones where I would pass with flying colours. I don't want to go in with a mentality thinking I'm dumb or not good enough but just be straight with me guys.

Additional, I'm staying in an accomodation I wanted to ask do people respect your stuff such as your food and things you do in the kitchen? I'll be in my first year. I also hear what l like to say nonsense about halls being chaos etc.


Hey @ChrisRock,

Personally I have really enjoyed uni! I think it's really about learning to manage your time and finding the balance between having fun and studying. In terms of specifically computing I have no experience as I don't do that degree unfortunately sorry!

In terms of accommodation, I would also agree that it does tend to be more about who you live with. But I have had incidences of people taking my stuff which can be annoying. I would recommend keeping all of your cutlery etc within a storage box in the cupboards as I've found people are more hesitant to use it if it's stored in that way. On the whole, though halls are a great way to meet new people and are really fun!

Hope this reassures you. Let me know if you have any questions! 😊
From,

Amina - Student Ambassador
Reply 8
Original post by UniofReading
Hey @ChrisRock,

Personally I have really enjoyed uni! I think it's really about learning to manage your time and finding the balance between having fun and studying. In terms of specifically computing I have no experience as I don't do that degree unfortunately sorry!

In terms of accommodation, I would also agree that it does tend to be more about who you live with. But I have had incidences of people taking my stuff which can be annoying. I would recommend keeping all of your cutlery etc within a storage box in the cupboards as I've found people are more hesitant to use it if it's stored in that way. On the whole, though halls are a great way to meet new people and are really fun!

Hope this reassures you. Let me know if you have any questions! 😊
From,

Amina - Student Ambassador


Maybe I'll keep everything that doesn't need to be refrigerated in a box under my bed haha cutlery etc
Reply 9
Original post by mike23mike
Great, you struck gold. Assuming year 1 module results don't count towards your final mark the bulk of the module marks are skewed to course work. 73% in year 2 and 83% in year 3. It means you can work steadily on your coursework from week 3 onwards (you will not have covered enough of the material in weeks 1 and 2 for you to make a start on the coursework until week 3). Course work is normally submitted in weeks 9 and 10.

Uni life is like a marathon and not a sprint. Chip away at your course work each week and you will not be left having to pull all-nighters in week 9 and 10 trying to get it all done.


is the written the exams? and sorry could you elaborate on what you mean by I struck gold? is it because I like course work more than exams ?
Original post by ChrisRock
is the written the exams? and sorry could you elaborate on what you mean by I struck gold? is it because I like course work more than exams ?


You wrote, "course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions" and for your degree in NTU its mainly course work - with the odd module having an exam. That will suit you - hence why I think you have struck lucky.
Reply 11
Original post by mike23mike
You wrote, "course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions" and for your degree in NTU its mainly course work - with the odd module having an exam. That will suit you - hence why I think you have struck lucky.


ohh thank you sorry I'm a Dumbo haha
Original post by ChrisRock
What is university actually like for a lot of you? when I was younger I always thought of it as a place where you just work and work to the bone, there was no free time or anything. And the exams are brutal. Is it actually like that? I start my first year in September (well hopefully not sure with this Rona going on) and course work i believe I can do that perfectly fine, I was doing good with course work in college getting Merits and distinctions. And yes, I know college and university is completely different especially when it comes to work. Speaking of work, since I did btec would that effect me in uni? I'm not the brightest, ESPECIALLY when it comes to maths but when it comes to technology I'm also so so intrigued, and btw I'm study computing in NTU.
Another thing I wanted to ask for computing related courses should I be worried about the exams? I was only ever good and the BTEC ICT ones where I would pass with flying colours. I don't want to go in with a mentality thinking I'm dumb or not good enough but just be straight with me guys.

Additional, I'm staying in an accomodation I wanted to ask do people respect your stuff such as your food and things you do in the kitchen? I'll be in my first year. I also hear what l like to say nonsense about halls being chaos etc.

Hi @ChrisRock

I thought the same thing, at first that at uni I would be doing work all the time. However, in reality for my course (Law) I found that I had a lot of time off from uni, especially in first year, where I could do other activities such as join societies and attend events. During, exam season it can get a bit stressful, but if you have good time management it should be manageable.

I would say at first exams do seem hard; however, this is because you are not used to the universities style of exams, however once you get used to this, they become a bit easier. Also, a lot of courses have various ways of assessments so not just exams. So, on my course I had exam, coursework, and a portfolio to do. I wouldn’t worry too much about not knowing a lot from the start as first year is usually taught on the basis that you do not have any knowledge on the subject.

Good luck!

Zaira 😊
Reply 13
Original post by hallamstudents
Hi @ChrisRock

I thought the same thing, at first that at uni I would be doing work all the time. However, in reality for my course (Law) I found that I had a lot of time off from uni, especially in first year, where I could do other activities such as join societies and attend events. During, exam season it can get a bit stressful, but if you have good time management it should be manageable.

I would say at first exams do seem hard; however, this is because you are not used to the universities style of exams, however once you get used to this, they become a bit easier. Also, a lot of courses have various ways of assessments so not just exams. So, on my course I had exam, coursework, and a portfolio to do. I wouldn’t worry too much about not knowing a lot from the start as first year is usually taught on the basis that you do not have any knowledge on the subject.

Good luck!

Zaira 😊


thank you! my specific course also says Year 1 - coursework (66%), written (17%) and practical (17%)

Year 2 - coursework (73%), written (22%) and practical (5%)

Year 3 - coursework (83%) and written (17%)

A placement year may be taken between year 2 and year 3 of study

Quick Reply

Latest