University life can be hectic to say the least. There’s mountains of homework, a litany of tests, and late-night deadlines that require the help of an essay writing service. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for First-Year University Student.
The good news is that there are more than a few things that university students can be doing differently to make life a little easier, especially as first-years. There are eight things in particular that each first-year university student should be doing to make university life more manageable.
- Make Connections
There is an old saying, something along the lines of “it’s not what you know, but who.” This is very much true. Embarking on a university career means meeting hundreds of people who can offer something to your academic career.
Whether it be fellow classmates, advisors, professors, campus staff, or recruiters, these are people who could play an important role in your life going forward. Who knows where those connections could take you in the future. Networking starts in university and can last a lifetime if you are doing it the right way.
- Organization Is Key
One of the biggest mistakes that university students make is being unprepared and disorganized. How many instances have there been when disorganization led to a lost paper, which required custom essay writing services at the last second? Those are avoidable situations.
By having sound organizational skills, you can keep from falling into situations such as those. Make sure that you have a calendar set up so you know where to be, what your deadlines are, and any events that you may have coming up. Keep folders for each class and separate notes from homework. Organization will come in handy all throughout your academic career.
- Record Lectures- First-Year University Student
Notes are one of the most crucial aspects for any university student. The unfortunate truth is that far too many students take inadequate notes, which winds up hampering study efforts and results in bombed tests.
Each student has their own way of taking notes, but there may be no better method than recording lectures. You can still take notes as you go, but there is no pressure to capture every last word. You can listen to the lecture again, gleaning the appropriate content so that your notes are much more complete.
- Use Your Advisor
Another asset available to university students that doesn’t get the use that it should are academic advisors. These counsellors are there specifically to answer questions and provide guidance for your academic path and any career aspirations that you have following university.
Scheduling somewhat regular meetings with them can be a great way to ensure that you are on the right path. It can also be a chance to learn about anything that may be important to your career path and just get general reassurances that you are doing the things that you are supposed to be doing.
- Always Save/Back up Files
We have all heard the nightmare scenario before: working late into the night on a major paper and the computer crashes. There were no saves made and all that hard work has been lost, facilitating the need to begin again from scratch.
Instead of subjecting yourself to that nightmare situation, make sure that you save as you go. Every 10 minutes or so is enough to ensure that your progress has been saved and that you won’t have to start from scratch. The same goes with your files. Make sure that you are backing them up when you can so that you aren’t caught in a bad situation.
- Dropping Classes
In the first year especially, there is this misconception that you have to see through the classes you committed to. But don’t be afraid to drop something that just doesn’t work for you. For starters, you won’t be fully invested and likely won’t get top marks.
Secondly, there is a finite amount of time that you are going to spend at university. Taking classes that don’t interest you or don’t have value is just wasted time. University is about finding what you want to do and wasteful classes don’t help.
- Keep Your Health in Mind
There is this misconception that university students have to live this unhealthy lifestyle. Sure, the trope is late night greasy food, a lot of drinking, and generally living on the edge of your seat. But that’s a quick way to burnout.
Some of that is okay some of the time. But make sure that you keep your health in mind, too. Exercise, eat quality meals when you can, and take care of your mental health. In the end, it will make you much better suited to tackle the rigors of university life.
- Join a Club
There is a fine line between taking an extracurricular and becoming overwhelmed, but joining clubs can be immensely beneficial. If for no other reason, it offers another networking scenario where you could make valuable connections.
More realistically, however, it is a chance to do something that you enjoy. Being able to break away from studying to play a sport or enjoy an activity can make university life a lot less stressful. There are so many benefits to be had from joining a club; make sure that it becomes a priority in year one of university life.
