Top Five Things New University Students Need To Know
GUEST POST: Louise Baker is a freelance blogger who usually writes about online degrees for Zen College Life.
If you’re headed off to your first semester of university, you’re probably worried about all of the new experiences. Living away from home for the first time, compounded on top of all your new classes, can be quite daunting. However, here you’ll find the top five things new university students need to know. These tips are sure to make your first year at your college or university much more bearable so that you don’t have to feel so much trepidation is getting in the way of your enjoyment of the academic program.
1. Go To Class
For the first time in your life, you’re going to be given free rein as to what you spend your time doing. Though some introductory seminars will still take attendance, as time goes on you’ll realise that there’s less and less accountability concerning whether or not you show up for lectures. As such, it’s important to remember that the main reason you’re in that place is to go to class. Sure, it’s fun to miss one or two classes to get lunch or play Mario Kart with your friends, but after a while you’ll find that you know more about the menus at the local restaurants than you do about your Psychology 1000 class. All in all, don’t skip class unless it’s a dire emergency.
For the first time in your life, you’re going to be given free rein as to what you spend your time doing. Though some introductory seminars will still take attendance, as time goes on you’ll realise that there’s less and less accountability concerning whether or not you show up for lectures. As such, it’s important to remember that the main reason you’re in that place is to go to class. Sure, it’s fun to miss one or two classes to get lunch or play Mario Kart with your friends, but after a while you’ll find that you know more about the menus at the local restaurants than you do about your Psychology 1000 class. All in all, don’t skip class unless it’s a dire emergency.
2. Take Care of Yourself
Many people talk about the fact that some people, away from home for the first time, gain a lot of weight within their first semester. If you don’t want this to happen to you, be sure to watch what you’re eating and take some time to hit the gym every once in a while. You don’t need to have a highly-regulated workout regime, but be sure to make an effort to keep yourself healthy. You’ll find that all of your clothes will still fit you by the end of your first term and you’ll be in a much better mental state come time for finals.
Many people talk about the fact that some people, away from home for the first time, gain a lot of weight within their first semester. If you don’t want this to happen to you, be sure to watch what you’re eating and take some time to hit the gym every once in a while. You don’t need to have a highly-regulated workout regime, but be sure to make an effort to keep yourself healthy. You’ll find that all of your clothes will still fit you by the end of your first term and you’ll be in a much better mental state come time for finals.
3. Use Your Campus Resources
Your roommate has a girl over and you have an assignment due the next day, but your laptop is in the room? Don’t worry, you can easily hike over to your school’s library and finish it in one of their computer labs. When adjusting to a new environment, many freshers forget that their campus has a wide array of resources just waiting to be used by students like them. Whether it’s a quota of paper that they can use for printing, to free software allocated by the school’s technical services department, there are literally hundreds of amenities that come with being a student in a modern university. The only real work that you have to do is look for these resources.
Your roommate has a girl over and you have an assignment due the next day, but your laptop is in the room? Don’t worry, you can easily hike over to your school’s library and finish it in one of their computer labs. When adjusting to a new environment, many freshers forget that their campus has a wide array of resources just waiting to be used by students like them. Whether it’s a quota of paper that they can use for printing, to free software allocated by the school’s technical services department, there are literally hundreds of amenities that come with being a student in a modern university. The only real work that you have to do is look for these resources.
4. Keep a Close Network of Friends
Especially near the end of the semester, it’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed with final projects and examinations that all have similar due dates. This is why it’s important to have a group of people that you trust and feel comfortable confiding in or just generally being around. Even if you don’t feel like you all have the time to hang out and watch a movie, remember that everyone has to eat. Getting together with your friends for a meal is one of the easiest ways to lower your stress during the rush of the end of the term.
Especially near the end of the semester, it’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed with final projects and examinations that all have similar due dates. This is why it’s important to have a group of people that you trust and feel comfortable confiding in or just generally being around. Even if you don’t feel like you all have the time to hang out and watch a movie, remember that everyone has to eat. Getting together with your friends for a meal is one of the easiest ways to lower your stress during the rush of the end of the term.
5. Don’t Be Afraid of Your Professors
Lastly, you should never think that your professors don’t want to help you. It’s their job to make certain that you understand everything that they’re saying in their lectures and emails. So, if you have a question, just ask! From their viewpoint, they’d rather that you ask them up front than have you fail your exams because you misunderstood something. Show some initiative and let them know if you’re having problems.
Lastly, you should never think that your professors don’t want to help you. It’s their job to make certain that you understand everything that they’re saying in their lectures and emails. So, if you have a question, just ask! From their viewpoint, they’d rather that you ask them up front than have you fail your exams because you misunderstood something. Show some initiative and let them know if you’re having problems.
