I thought the people would be more different/mature than in sixth form/college for some stupid reason. Nope, pretty much exactly the same - didn't really think that one through. I also thought I'd enjoy cooking for myself all the time. Again, not really. Finally, I thought I'd feel a lot more independent than I actually did.
I thought it would be harder in terms of work, I was thinking late nights at the library (I actually never took a book out) but probably ended up studying less than I did at school. I thought I'd be going out/ partying weekly, turned out it was more like daily. I thought I'd join and take part in more societies and have study sessions with coursemates - these are two areas to work on in the next year.
I hadnt realised exactly how much work you have to do on your own and that sometimes, without a 'teacher' to nag, getting motivation to study was difficult - its easy sometimes to coast along doing sod all because you feel like you have so much 'time'.
If I did it all again, I'd read the books on the sodding reading list instead of flicking through them hoping the answer to this fortnight's essay would just leap out at me. And I'd prepare for tutorials/classes better - again by doing the reading and not thinking I could just sit there and leech off the sensible people who had done the reading. I woke up to this basic truth in the middle of my 2nd year. I still got a 2.1 but I probably could have got a First if I'd actually not wasted so much time in my First Year and read the bloody books instead of drinking coffee.
If I did it all again, I'd read the books on the sodding reading list instead of flicking through them hoping the answer to this fortnight's essay would just leap out at me. And I'd prepare for tutorials/classes better - again by doing the reading and not thinking I could just sit there and leech off the sensible people who had done the reading. I woke up to this basic truth in the middle of my 2nd year. I still got a 2.1 but I probably could have got a First if I'd actually not wasted so much time in my First Year and read the bloody books instead of drinking coffee.
First of all, I never thought I'd miss home so much! I was so excited to leave and wasn't in the least bit nervous. I thought I'd make cool intellectual friends, have awesome conversations and drink overpriced coffee and go out drinking at least once a week.
The reality is that I spent most of freshers week hiding in my room completely stunned by how much I just wanted my mum or someone else familiar to be near me. Then I made stupidly goofy friends and had the most childish conversations and I realised my body doesn't react well to alcohol. And I couldn't afford overpriced coffee so stuck to Nescafe instant instead. All in all, I had a pretty good time and got a 2:1 out of it
The reality is that I spent most of freshers week hiding in my room completely stunned by how much I just wanted my mum or someone else familiar to be near me. Then I made stupidly goofy friends and had the most childish conversations and I realised my body doesn't react well to alcohol. And I couldn't afford overpriced coffee so stuck to Nescafe instant instead. All in all, I had a pretty good time and got a 2:1 out of it
There was a lot more drinking and going out than what I expected (post Freshers week of course), but that may have just been my group of friends/flatmates.
The work wasn't much more difficult than A-level, but the quantity increased with a lot of essays, coursework and mid term exams.
Contact hours were much lower than I expected. I only had about 12-14 hour weeks, I expected around 20 hours at least. My timetable has been posted for my 1st term of second year and I have even less hours!
9AM lectures on a hangover were much much much much much more harder to deal with than I thought they would be.
Reading lists don't need to be stuck to religiously. I only read a core textbook for one of my modules when there was a whole list of extra reading including journals, books and articles. I still ended up with a first in that module. This may be different depending on your course and module though.
Students are as immature as ever. NOTHING would have changed from the immaturity at sixth form, which I like. Foiled rooms were a regular prank, not to mention drawing dicks on post-it notes and putting them all over someone's room when we knew their parents were coming down to visit... so mature. 
Group work is awful. Enough said.
The work wasn't much more difficult than A-level, but the quantity increased with a lot of essays, coursework and mid term exams.
Contact hours were much lower than I expected. I only had about 12-14 hour weeks, I expected around 20 hours at least. My timetable has been posted for my 1st term of second year and I have even less hours!
9AM lectures on a hangover were much much much much much more harder to deal with than I thought they would be.
Reading lists don't need to be stuck to religiously. I only read a core textbook for one of my modules when there was a whole list of extra reading including journals, books and articles. I still ended up with a first in that module. This may be different depending on your course and module though.
Students are as immature as ever. NOTHING would have changed from the immaturity at sixth form, which I like.
Foiled rooms were a regular prank, not to mention drawing dicks on post-it notes and putting them all over someone's room when we knew their parents were coming down to visit... so mature. Group work is awful. Enough said.
Original post by Jackal The
I thought the people would be more different/mature than in sixth form/college for some stupid reason. Nope, pretty much exactly the same - didn't really think that one through. I also thought I'd enjoy cooking for myself all the time. Again, not really. Finally, I thought I'd feel a lot more independent than I actually did.
I am hoping atleast the people at uni will be more wild than the school I changed to for the good sixth form, the people I made friends with preferred to talk about doctor who than go out but that nerdyness is fine I know most sixth formers are not like that!
Original post by soup
I thought it would be harder in terms of work, I was thinking late nights at the library (I actually never took a book out) but probably ended up studying less than I did at school. I thought I'd be going out/ partying weekly, turned out it was more like daily. I thought I'd join and take part in more societies and have study sessions with coursemates - these are two areas to work on in the next year.
yeah I am look forward to joining societies they put so much emphasis on it. Did you find alot of people getting involved?
Original post by returnmigrant
I hadnt realised exactly how much work you have to do on your own and that sometimes, without a 'teacher' to nag, getting motivation to study was difficult - its easy sometimes to coast along doing sod all because you feel like you have so much 'time'.
If I did it all again, I'd read the books on the sodding reading list instead of flicking through them hoping the answer to this fortnight's essay would just leap out at me. And I'd prepare for tutorials/classes better - again by doing the reading and not thinking I could just sit there and leech off the sensible people who had done the reading. I woke up to this basic truth in the middle of my 2nd year. I still got a 2.1 but I probably could have got a First if I'd actually not wasted so much time in my First Year and read the bloody books instead of drinking coffee.
If I did it all again, I'd read the books on the sodding reading list instead of flicking through them hoping the answer to this fortnight's essay would just leap out at me. And I'd prepare for tutorials/classes better - again by doing the reading and not thinking I could just sit there and leech off the sensible people who had done the reading. I woke up to this basic truth in the middle of my 2nd year. I still got a 2.1 but I probably could have got a First if I'd actually not wasted so much time in my First Year and read the bloody books instead of drinking coffee.
The reading list I have been given is huge :| but time management is key I guess.
Original post by SkinnyKat
First of all, I never thought I'd miss home so much! I was so excited to leave and wasn't in the least bit nervous. I thought I'd make cool intellectual friends, have awesome conversations and drink overpriced coffee and go out drinking at least once a week.
The reality is that I spent most of freshers week hiding in my room completely stunned by how much I just wanted my mum or someone else familiar to be near me. Then I made stupidly goofy friends and had the most childish conversations and I realised my body doesn't react well to alcohol. And I couldn't afford overpriced coffee so stuck to Nescafe instant instead. All in all, I had a pretty good time and got a 2:1 out of it
The reality is that I spent most of freshers week hiding in my room completely stunned by how much I just wanted my mum or someone else familiar to be near me. Then I made stupidly goofy friends and had the most childish conversations and I realised my body doesn't react well to alcohol. And I couldn't afford overpriced coffee so stuck to Nescafe instant instead. All in all, I had a pretty good time and got a 2:1 out of it
lol oh dear! I will probably be worse I am going to miss my pets so much!
Original post by Kre
There was a lot more drinking and going out than what I expected (post Freshers week of course), but that may have just been my group of friends/flatmates.
The work wasn't much more difficult than A-level, but the quantity increased with a lot of essays, coursework and mid term exams.
Contact hours were much lower than I expected. I only had about 12-14 hour weeks, I expected around 20 hours at least. My timetable has been posted for my 1st term of second year and I have even less hours!
9AM lectures on a hangover were much much much much much more harder to deal with than I thought they would be.
Reading lists don't need to be stuck to religiously. I only read a core textbook for one of my modules when there was a whole list of extra reading including journals, books and articles. I still ended up with a first in that module. This may be different depending on your course and module though.
Students are as immature as ever. NOTHING would have changed from the immaturity at sixth form, which I like. Foiled rooms were a regular prank, not to mention drawing dicks on post-it notes and putting them all over someone's room when we knew their parents were coming down to visit... so mature.
Group work is awful. Enough said.
The work wasn't much more difficult than A-level, but the quantity increased with a lot of essays, coursework and mid term exams.
Contact hours were much lower than I expected. I only had about 12-14 hour weeks, I expected around 20 hours at least. My timetable has been posted for my 1st term of second year and I have even less hours!
9AM lectures on a hangover were much much much much much more harder to deal with than I thought they would be.
Reading lists don't need to be stuck to religiously. I only read a core textbook for one of my modules when there was a whole list of extra reading including journals, books and articles. I still ended up with a first in that module. This may be different depending on your course and module though.
Students are as immature as ever. NOTHING would have changed from the immaturity at sixth form, which I like.
Foiled rooms were a regular prank, not to mention drawing dicks on post-it notes and putting them all over someone's room when we knew their parents were coming down to visit... so mature. Group work is awful. Enough said.
sounds nice
I do agree I can't stand group work! What degree were you doing?
I thought first year would be pretty much similar to high school, however in reality I realised it was a lot more (i.e. constant rewriting/reading of lecture notes, so many class tests and exam revision). You definitely need to be organised and have great time management. I'm determined to be more organised and go out less during second year! 
1. I thought the work would be harder but I found exams and assignments easier to pass (probably due to everything being taught at introductory level)
2. 9am lectures were hard. I blame vodka.
3. Money was not as easy to manage as I thought (blowing the majority of loans within the first month anyone?
)
4. I thought I would have the time to participate regularly in all of the societies I signed up to during Fresher's Week. Nope. Could only manage 2/3.
5. Friends were not as easy to make! Everyone were in different classes with different schedules so we didn't get much time to interact.
6. I thought I wouldn't get along with my flatmates, but every single one of them are awesome
7. I thought I needed to get every single one of the books on the reading list (I didn't, most were unopened), and from the university's book shop too (oh how the lecturers shamelessly plugged it). In reality they could all be borrowed from the library or just buy one or two from Ebay.
8. Lecturers don't know students like teachers at school. It's a good idea to go and see them from time to time so they know you (it helps to get that glowing academic reference!)
9. Underestimated the amount of independent work that should have been done, which resulted in hurried essays a couple of days before the deadline...
10. It's more of a life changing experience than I had previously thought. Wouldn't change it for anything.
2. 9am lectures were hard. I blame vodka.
3. Money was not as easy to manage as I thought (blowing the majority of loans within the first month anyone?
)4. I thought I would have the time to participate regularly in all of the societies I signed up to during Fresher's Week. Nope. Could only manage 2/3.
5. Friends were not as easy to make! Everyone were in different classes with different schedules so we didn't get much time to interact.
6. I thought I wouldn't get along with my flatmates, but every single one of them are awesome
7. I thought I needed to get every single one of the books on the reading list (I didn't, most were unopened), and from the university's book shop too (oh how the lecturers shamelessly plugged it). In reality they could all be borrowed from the library or just buy one or two from Ebay.
8. Lecturers don't know students like teachers at school. It's a good idea to go and see them from time to time so they know you (it helps to get that glowing academic reference!)
9. Underestimated the amount of independent work that should have been done, which resulted in hurried essays a couple of days before the deadline...
10. It's more of a life changing experience than I had previously thought. Wouldn't change it for anything.
Original post by soup
I thought it would be harder in terms of work, I was thinking late nights at the library (I actually never took a book out) but probably ended up studying less than I did at school. I thought I'd be going out/ partying weekly, turned out it was more like daily. I thought I'd join and take part in more societies and have study sessions with coursemates - these are two areas to work on in the next year.
What subject did you study?
Posted from TSR Mobile
I thought that everyone would be really friendly and open to anything - nope! I think the problem is that societies don't tend to start until week 2/3/4. So everyone already has a little social group of their own before the societies start...I found that people in my society were lovely, but didn't want to mix with people outside of the society. And my god does Alcohol play a BIG part, it can be quite shocking(?) when everyone drinks and drinks ...for days on end, missing out on so many lectures because of it...I didn't realise that alcohol made up such a massive part of Uni!
My top tip would be to find a society that works for you, find one with similar people, perhaps a smaller one. If you're a bit geeky go for a geeky society etc... AND go to all of the meetings at the beginning, much easier to recognize people and become friendly! If you don't drink much then look around, some of them are 'dry' - no alcohol - societies, or only have very few socials (my Volunteering soc is 'dry' - we have a lot of muslim girls in our soc, so it makes sense, and it's nice to not be around people who drink 24/7)
Again, becoming friends with people on your course is much harder then you'd think! There are 14 people on my course, but 250 in my department, I can basically have lectures and seminars with a mix of those 250 people. You tend to (after a while!) latch on to a couple of people, sit next to them in seminars and start talking...But it does take a while! Everyone is so bloody shy!
Tip: Know where every meeting/tutorial/seminar room is, and when every hand in date is, people start becoming a bit more friendly to you when they realise that you actually know what you're doing!!
For the studying side, I found it pretty fun, I hated sixth Form, always telling me what to do! Sixth Form was a funny mix of independent study and classes, like a 40: 60 split, but Uni is more of a 20:80 split. If you are motivated, like hard work, can easily be in the library at 9am on Saturday morning or 8pm on a Tuesday evening, then you will be fine! You control your own study. For me, I got to create my own essay titles, research my own work, it was fun, like a puzzle! Knowing that I go from a blank bit of paper, to having read countless articles to writing a good quality essay. It's an amazing feel when you think, I did that! No teacher input (or barely any), no cheap A Level textbook for help, proper academic articles to analyse...
No one will tell you how boring Uni is! I think that is why everyone drinks! Seriously! You have 10-15 hours a week, at randomn times, that's it! I started going to the gym to give my day some structure! So having a structure is one thing I will do this year, wake up, breakfast, library, lecture, gym, home etc... Otherwise your days roll into one!
I didn't think that I would be homesick, it weren't my parents that I missed, but my animals! I ring my parents now so I can here my cats! (My cat now sings done the phone to me!)
To sum up, Uni is what YOU make it! Work hard, have fun!
My top tip would be to find a society that works for you, find one with similar people, perhaps a smaller one. If you're a bit geeky go for a geeky society etc... AND go to all of the meetings at the beginning, much easier to recognize people and become friendly! If you don't drink much then look around, some of them are 'dry' - no alcohol - societies, or only have very few socials (my Volunteering soc is 'dry' - we have a lot of muslim girls in our soc, so it makes sense, and it's nice to not be around people who drink 24/7)
Again, becoming friends with people on your course is much harder then you'd think! There are 14 people on my course, but 250 in my department, I can basically have lectures and seminars with a mix of those 250 people. You tend to (after a while!) latch on to a couple of people, sit next to them in seminars and start talking...But it does take a while! Everyone is so bloody shy!
Tip: Know where every meeting/tutorial/seminar room is, and when every hand in date is, people start becoming a bit more friendly to you when they realise that you actually know what you're doing!!
For the studying side, I found it pretty fun, I hated sixth Form, always telling me what to do! Sixth Form was a funny mix of independent study and classes, like a 40: 60 split, but Uni is more of a 20:80 split. If you are motivated, like hard work, can easily be in the library at 9am on Saturday morning or 8pm on a Tuesday evening, then you will be fine! You control your own study. For me, I got to create my own essay titles, research my own work, it was fun, like a puzzle! Knowing that I go from a blank bit of paper, to having read countless articles to writing a good quality essay. It's an amazing feel when you think, I did that! No teacher input (or barely any), no cheap A Level textbook for help, proper academic articles to analyse...
No one will tell you how boring Uni is! I think that is why everyone drinks! Seriously! You have 10-15 hours a week, at randomn times, that's it! I started going to the gym to give my day some structure! So having a structure is one thing I will do this year, wake up, breakfast, library, lecture, gym, home etc... Otherwise your days roll into one!
I didn't think that I would be homesick, it weren't my parents that I missed, but my animals! I ring my parents now so I can here my cats! (My cat now sings done the phone to me!
)To sum up, Uni is what YOU make it! Work hard, have fun!
Original post by Serenade
Mathematics and physics. I think it's because in those subjects they don't cover a lot of new material just that the questions and problems are at a much higher level. And so you learn throughout the year how to solve them rather than cramming for a final exam.
I actually found making friends at university easier than expected! I made some really good friends on my course and would say that I'm friendly with everyone on my course, now (end of second year). I also have a few friends on courses we shared lectures with. I never really got into the society side of things but I know people who did and made really good friends that way too. I know some courses are different, but everyone on my course socialises with others on the course outside of university, as well as their other friends. We are pretty cliquey though, but I think that's sort of natural. It's silly to expect 40-100 people to all get on well together.
First year was easier than I expected in terms of workload and course content. Second year was a real step up in expectations, and I think third year will be a step up again.
I did expect to know my lecturers better than I do. Now I'm in second year, I know my regular lecturers pretty well (especially what they're looking for in an essay) but in first year we often had lecturers for just a few sessions in large groups, and I can't even remember all their names.
First year was easier than I expected in terms of workload and course content. Second year was a real step up in expectations, and I think third year will be a step up again.
I did expect to know my lecturers better than I do. Now I'm in second year, I know my regular lecturers pretty well (especially what they're looking for in an essay) but in first year we often had lecturers for just a few sessions in large groups, and I can't even remember all their names.
1. I thought, after seeing what some people were saying, that it'd be just like college, with immature people etc. There are still a few immature people, but at my uni people do seem a bit more adult and mature, like they really want to work because they're spending so much money on it.
2. Thought the work would be a lot harder, but with the exception of struggling with referencing at first, it's not been too bad. I love the independence of it, the fact that the lecturers are of the opinion that if you want to work, you will, and if you don't, you clearly don't want a degree enough.
3. Thought everyone would go out and get drunk every night. Thankfully they don't
4. Thought it'd be like most arts degrees where you get 10-15 contact hours a week. Doing 35 hours a week is exhausting, but fun!
5. Making friends is easier than you think, as long as you make the effort. Don't sit around and wait for friends to come to you, it wont happen.
2. Thought the work would be a lot harder, but with the exception of struggling with referencing at first, it's not been too bad. I love the independence of it, the fact that the lecturers are of the opinion that if you want to work, you will, and if you don't, you clearly don't want a degree enough.
3. Thought everyone would go out and get drunk every night. Thankfully they don't
4. Thought it'd be like most arts degrees where you get 10-15 contact hours a week. Doing 35 hours a week is exhausting, but fun!
5. Making friends is easier than you think, as long as you make the effort. Don't sit around and wait for friends to come to you, it wont happen.
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