The Advice I Would Give My First Year Self

1. Keep an eye on your bank balance – but don’t worry too much!
There’s a lot that can be said for a good student budget, especially if you’re not the most financially savvy person to begin with. However, it’s only natural that you’re probably going to spend more on rent/grocery shopping/entertainment costs than if you were living at home beforehand, so try not to feel constantly worried when you see money leaving your bank account. As much as it sucks, it’s just part of the student experience – and part of the adult one as well. :s-smilie:

2. Try and engage with classes/lectures as much as possible.
For lots of UK universities, the grades you receive in first year don’t count towards your final degree classification. Although this can make it tempting to skip a few classes here and there and not study too hard for any of your modules, it’s important to use this time to build good study habits and try to wrap your head around any fundamental course materials for the future. You don’t want to waste your time in second or third year having to re-learn concepts you should have mastered in your first!

3. Figure out which societies you’re going to commit to.
When you first arrive at uni, you’ll probably want to join nearly every society at fresher’s so you can have a new, cool ‘thing’. Unfortunately, you simply don’t have the time to commit to ten different societies AND attend your lectures AND go out for drinks in the evening with your flatmates – so choose one or two that you think click best and attend their meetings regularly. And hey, if you find it isn’t working after a few months, you can always try something new in second year!

4. Get an idea of how each of your course modules is marked.
By the time I arrived at Kingston, I had become really accustomed to the idea of having a set specification for each exam I did, similar to how it operated at A-Level and GCSE. I structured all my essays in a very particular way, which worked well for some modules and not so well for others. I now realise that certain lecturers and professors want assignments structured in different ways, and you can’t just adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Make sure to read your feedback carefully and try to form an idea of what that particular rubric is asking of you – and make sure to actually make those improvements in your next assignment! :biggrin: