Advice for First Year

Anonymous #1

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Hi there!

Definitely try to join in and get involved with as much as possible in the first few weeks of uni. Say yes to nights out, or tag along to Freshers' events. Try societies out, go for extra curricular roles, etc. This is the time when everyone is starting out afresh, so if you open up your options of things to try, you're more likely to meet new people and find your friends. And you never know you you might meet!

That being said, it's also okay if you don't gel or connect with people straight away. I'm not really friends with some people I met right at the start of uni, and I've met some amazing friends in my second year, so if things are not as idyllic and perfect to start with, you'll get there in the end.

And don't forget to pack clothes hangers, lots of lounging/comfy clothes and shopping bags! And don't leave your laundry to the last minute - no one wants to run out of undies.

Best of luck with starting your uni! 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by BCU Student Rep

Hi there!
Definitely try to join in and get involved with as much as possible in the first few weeks of uni. Say yes to nights out, or tag along to Freshers' events. Try societies out, go for extra curricular roles, etc. This is the time when everyone is starting out afresh, so if you open up your options of things to try, you're more likely to meet new people and find your friends. And you never know you you might meet!
That being said, it's also okay if you don't gel or connect with people straight away. I'm not really friends with some people I met right at the start of uni, and I've met some amazing friends in my second year, so if things are not as idyllic and perfect to start with, you'll get there in the end.
And don't forget to pack clothes hangers, lots of lounging/comfy clothes and shopping bags! And don't leave your laundry to the last minute - no one wants to run out of undies.
Best of luck with starting your uni! 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Thank you for this advice! I really appreciate it and I will definitely try to get involved with events etc!! 🥰

Reply 3

cheadle

Check out all the online resources that are part of your modules and general course admin. Regularly log onlne and read your emails at least once a week.

Reply 4

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Hi anonymous,

Everyone here has mentioned some great tips already, and I totally agree! I also think it’s important to establish a good work-life balance. It is easy to get caught up in going out all the time and neglecting your uni work, or doing too much work and not enjoying yourself. Both are detrimental in my opinion.

I have a planner and use Notion (a planning app/website) where I write down my deadlines and plan out my week. It really helps me visualise all my reading and tasks. I like to set myself hours for when I work too. I tend to go to campus early in the morning and finish mid afternoon. Everyone has different times where they are more productive so this is different based on the person. Getting myself into a good routine and establishing a balance between socialising and work has really improved my productivity and mental well-being, and I think it’s really important!

All the best,

Jen,

University of Exeter student ambassador

Reply 5

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

I would say to not put too much pressure on yourself in first year! Its worth checking when you start how much first year contributes to your final year degree (most universities it is 0%, or 10%). Remember that first year is usually a learning process, and almost a transitionary period to get used to academic work to a degree standard. Its important to of course try your best, to understand where your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to studying and assignments, but try not to stress yourself out :smile:

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Reply 6

Chronoscope

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Check your uni emails regularly, like the other user mentioned, at least once a week, however checking often is useful as any last minute room changes/cancellations might be mentioned by lecturers etc.
Make a list of all the upcoming assessments with dates so you don't miss any deadlines. Make sure you get enough to pass.
Check what you need to get in each module to pass the year (often 40%, but do check as this can vary)
Schedule at least a termly meeting with your academic tutor - if you don't like them or you don't find them helpful, you might be able to request a new one
Course group chats for your cohort can be incredibly helpful

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 7

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Hi there,

My best advice would be to put yourself out there, especially during freshers week! In freshers week, everyone is new to uni and wants to make friends, so it is the perfect time to ask people to go out with you and do things as it is likely that they will want to! Try and do things with a variety of different people as you won't stay close friends with everyone you meet in freshers, so it's good to try and get to know lots of different people! Don't worry about people saying no if you ask them to make plans with you, just ask!

Along the same lines, if someone asks you to do something with them, try and say yes as much as you can. Of course, don't say yes if you really don't want to go or don't feel comfortable going, but the more things you say yes to, the more people you will meet! It's also a good time to just see what you like doing in your new city- do you like clubbing and which ones, which places do you like to eat etc.

Also, like others have said, try and do as much as you can in freshers week. I know everyone goes out and to the social events, but try and go to the other events too like the freshers fair and societies fairs! You can ask your housemates to go with you as it is always fun and helps you to get to know them by doing something that's not going out, and you might find some things that you want to join while you are at uni! I would also go to any course welcome events that you might have, they might seem a bit pointless, but it's a great way to get to know people on your course and I met some of my closest friends by going to these events while I was in freshers week!

I always say that societies are great to join as you meet loads of people doing this and they are usually people who have a similar interest to you which is great. The socials are great too and it's just a great experience to have while you are at uni in general!

I hope some of this helps and I hope you enjoy uni!

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 8

University of Huddersfield

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Anon,

Try and establish a routine once you are familiar with your timetable and the days you are in and the time you have during the week. This will help you with finding the best time to do laundry, shopping, cleaning etc… It will also help you feel more settled rather than feeling like you are going from one thing to the next and not really knowing what you are doing from one day to the other.

Try and get to know your housemates. It may feel easier to stay in your room and you might feel shy, but you will feel more comfortable in your surroundings once you’ve met the other housemates and chatted with them a bit. You might even strike up a friendship with one or more of them, so do be brave and spend some time in the kitchen or introduce yourself by knocking on people’s doors or keep your door slightly open so that other housemates can knock your door and say ‘hello’.

Talk to different people on your course. It is not always easy to tell who you are going to get on well with, so do talk to different people and give them a chance to get to know you and for you to get to know them. Try and sit next to different people in lectures or seminars. Go for coffee or lunch with a group of people, encourage or ask if people are going to uni events and go with them. Learn different people’s names. See if anyone is interested in joining the same societies as you. Try to create or make the most of opportunities to get to know new people. It will most probably feel quite tiring and draining, but building a good support network and a sense of community will help you feel ‘at home’ in a new place.

Give yourself time. There will be lots of new information. You may well be navigating a new city or town, in addition to learning how to do laundry, cook, budget and work to the standard expected at university. There will be a lot going on and it could be easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself to have everything together, to have formed the perfect set of friends, to be getting top grades in every assignment, to be balancing life back home with life at uni and to be eating healthily, exercising regularly and to be a member of two or three societies and have found a part-time job before the end of the first month at uni! It will take time to get used to university life and being away from home, so try not to think that you have to figure out everything straight away – some things do need time!

Enjoy your first year!

Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield

Reply 9

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Hey,

I'm Haya and I'm a final year medical student. Congratulations on getting accepted and starting your journey. 😀

Some advice I would give you is to attend all your classes, even if attendance is not mandatory.
It might seem like a good idea to just skip the classes without mandatory attendance but I found that it is better for your memory retention to attend the class as you will be far more engaged with the content of the course you're taking.

Avoid procrastination if you can help it, getting rid of assignments as soon as possible will help free up your weekend for recreation. My advice would be to try to find out your study style (many quizzes online).

Try balancing work and leisure, it might seem easy at first, but it is very easy to get overwhelmed, so try to take breaks often (I use the Pomodoro Method) and socialise with others!

Hope this helped!
Haya - MBBS 5

Reply 10

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Any valuable advice for first year students?

Hi Anon,
I would recommend speaking to lots of societies at freshers fair, including ones you have never heard/though of before and attending lots of society taster events to see which ones interest you the most as societies are a great way to meet friends.
I would recommend keeping up with our emails, you can receive quite a lot but they can contain important information.
Attend careers fairs/talks early on to help you figure out what careers interest you the most as this can help with picking modules in later years.
Try to keep up with reading, even if its just the core readings, as they can quickly stack up and can leave alot to do before exam season.
Hope this helps!
-Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)