uni students pls help

I wish I knew that teachers don't coddle students like they do in school. It's really up to the student to be motivated, which I struggle with sometimes

what is something that you wish you knew before you started university

what is something that you wish you knew before you started university

that it's ok to not feel like you are living the best years of your life every single day. There will be ups and downs as with anything in life

i was really worrying about not having such a great time since everything is online now. I have recently dropped out of uni beacuse it just didnt feel like i was at university at all (and other reasons too)

I wish I had looked at the greater scope of my studies and organised my time better so that I could prepare for some of my future subjects. I realise that trying to cramming in too much will lead to burn out, but I found that with each semester the level of material gets more challenging and the university establishment is harsh when it comes to pre-requisites for certain subjects which you are expected to know beforehand. Some of the pre-requisites will have fair expectations but those that don't are the ones to worry about. I feel like I could have had an easier time at university if I had drawn up an entire course plan instead of living and studying from semester to semester. For example, in my spare time during certain semester breaks I could've spent the time studying Differential Equations which was only briefly touched on in my course but we were expected to know it all for future subjects. So in summary, university can be unfair but often times you can avoid falling into the pits of despair by examining the entire course syllabus and understanding clearly what is done during the lectures and laboratories and what you need to do more of later in your free time. Easier said than done of course and this will certainly kill any socialisation, but I feel that I would easily trade any social time for the chance to be more well prepared and to top every class and exam.

Since you will be most likely having your first year online one thing I would really recommend would be to get as clear answers as possible on the organisation of the course, what is expected of students, when important exam dates are and whether any changes have been committed to the course. This requires you to ask your lecturers about these things frequently which I am sure they will be annoyed, but since you are paying for the course because you are studying in England you have every right to know everything that is going on and to be nosy. The problem I've had with my course is that during the lockdown lecturers were rather nonchalant about ensuring that all their students were informed about important materials and dates and if I had failed an assignment they wouldn't tell me about it unless I had asked them explicitly for the outcome, which meant that if I hadn't taken a proactive role I would've failed the subject and have had to retake it next year. I am sure that for English universities the regulations are much stricter and you have more to lose, because it is also a financial incentive for the university if you have to pay for retakes or retake the entire year. Lecturers will not always be the most reasonable people. I knew of someone who had failed a course even though it was the lecturer's fault for not informing him that he had not met one of the requirements for a subject. In these times many people are not always used to working online, and they may have unrealistic expectations of students at the same time. Remember to stay on top of things.

yeah i guess that makes the environment even harder

oh no. What are you doing now then?

Do you plan to return to uni once things go back to normal again?

I wish I had looked at the greater scope of my studies and organised my time better so that I could prepare for some of my future subjects. I realise that trying to cramming in too much will lead to burn out, but I found that with each semester the level of material gets more challenging and the university establishment is harsh when it comes to pre-requisites for certain subjects which you are expected to know beforehand. Some of the pre-requisites will have fair expectations but those that don't are the ones to worry about. I feel like I could have had an easier time at university if I had drawn up an entire course plan instead of living and studying from semester to semester. For example, in my spare time during certain semester breaks I could've spent the time studying Differential Equations which was only briefly touched on in my course but we were expected to know it all for future subjects. So in summary, university can be unfair but often times you can avoid falling into the pits of despair by examining the entire course syllabus and understanding clearly what is done during the lectures and laboratories and what you need to do more of later in your free time. Easier said than done of course and this will certainly kill any socialisation, but I feel that I would easily trade any social time for the chance to be more well prepared and to top every class and exam.

Since you will be most likely having your first year online one thing I would really recommend would be to get as clear answers as possible on the organisation of the course, what is expected of students, when important exam dates are and whether any changes have been committed to the course. This requires you to ask your lecturers about these things frequently which I am sure they will be annoyed, but since you are paying for the course because you are studying in England you have every right to know everything that is going on and to be nosy. The problem I've had with my course is that during the lockdown lecturers were rather nonchalant about ensuring that all their students were informed about important materials and dates and if I had failed an assignment they wouldn't tell me about it unless I had asked them explicitly for the outcome, which meant that if I hadn't taken a proactive role I would've failed the subject and have had to retake it next year. I am sure that for English universities the regulations are much stricter and you have more to lose, because it is also a financial incentive for the university if you have to pay for retakes or retake the entire year. Lecturers will not always be the most reasonable people. I knew of someone who had failed a course even though it was the lecturer's fault for not informing him that he had not met one of the requirements for a subject. In these times many people are not always used to working online, and they may have unrealistic expectations of students at the same time. Remember to stay on top of things.

Hi there,

I thought I'd reach out to you to let you know of something that I wish I'd known before starting University. I know it sounds a bit cliche, but to try not to worry about things that havent happened yet.
Before I started University, I was incredibly fearful about making friends, sitting alone in lecture halls, not liking my flat mates etc. I got myself into some right situations! But, looking back now, I can safely say that EVERYTHING happens for a reason, and everything will work out in the end. It's so incredibly easy to get swept away with thoughts such as these, and it can really damper your University experience before it's even began! So I wish someone had told me to not 'stress' as much as I did, and to just let things be - as everything works out!
I have the loveliest group of University best friends, get along with all my flat, and am absolutely loving my experience so far - so try not to sweat the small stuff & go with the flow! That would be my piece of advice!

Ana
University of Liverpool Rep.