Studying
Although learning is probably the last thing on your mind, it’s important that you go to your lectures. It’s normally only about five hours a week (that’s less than one average day at work!) and it can be really hard to catch up if you fall behind.
You could just cope with work - allowing yourself the maximum free time for sleeping until neighbours comes on, watching TV and drinking at the student union. But, the students who follow this approach are usually the ones left without a degree at the end of the three years.
University is very different to school. How much studying you do is left up to you. You’re expected to do a lot of work outside of lectures, without having to be asked to do it. Sometimes, lecturers will give out work which is not expected to be handed in for marking. It’s important to realise that this work has to be done (even though it’s not being given in or marked) to gain a thorough understanding of the subject.
There aren’t small classes like at school. It’s mainly lectures which consist of large groups of students (100s) who sit and listen to a lecturer for one or two hours. It’s a bit like a cinema but without the popcorn! There’s not much interaction between the students and the lecturer. It can take some getting used to at first, but after a while it will all seem normal. There is some tutorial time where smaller groups of students get together with tutors to go over topics (similar to classes at school). This time should be used wisely because it’s your chance to ask questions about things you don’t understand. If you prepare for these tutorials you’ll get a lot out of them.
The amount of work that is expected of you is obviously a lot more than when you were at school. It will depend on what course you are doing, but you should allow at least three hours for every lecture you have. This will enable you to go through the lecture notes, prepare for the tutorial and do any reading that’s needed.
Make sure you give yourself some free time because it’s important to relax. Most universities keep Wednesday afternoons free. This is when sports matches are played against other universities. So, it’s likely you’ll be free on Wednesday afternoon as well as other days.
It’s easy to forget your work because it’s not like school and you’re not reminded of essay deadlines. You are given an assessment sheet at the beginning and that’s it. It’s up to you to remember them.
Top tips:
Get yourself a calendar and mark up any important dates ie: deadlines, as soon as you get your assessment sheets. This will be a good way to see what’s coming up and also if two big assignments are due at the same time – you can manage your workload better.
If you don’t have your own computer and you’re using university ones, remember to leave extra time. You won’t be the only person who has an assignment deadline and so the computer rooms will be packed with panicked students rushing to get theirs finished on time. The peak times are from about 12noon til 4pm, but don’t be surprised if they’re still busy at 6ish when work is due in. Your best bet is to get down there early and get yourself set up for the day.