Things We Learnt In Our First Year Of University

Hello beautiful people! It is the second of February, which means that it is officially one month until we start our second year of University. Today we are also kicking off our little back to school series of blog posts, because next to Christmas and awards season, back to school is also one of our favourite time of the year! I know, we say that about everything, but at least back to school satisfies our obsession with stationary (We could spend hours upon hours in Officeworks alone).

As class registration opens today for our school (UoM, represent!), and we have a couple of friends who are going in to their first year, we thought that we should share some of the things we learnt, and feel like we want to share, about our first year. 

(Graceful and Claire do not own this image. This is a still from the semi-auto biographical TV series Gilmore Girls.)

Having a break longer than an hour might seem a good idea at first, but it will actually become the most dreaded time of your week.No one wants to hang around campus for a few hours waiting for their last class when you would much rather go home. But then again, if it is a scheduling thing you cannot avoid, make the most of the time to get some readings done, or do some research in the library.  ALSO, while spreading out your subjects across five days might seem like a good idea, you have the power and option to get a three or four day weekend! 3 days of Uni and a four day weekend is pretty great. But hey, whatever works for you.

Try out classes that you have never taken before.

Grace’s class on World Religions last year had the most interesting tutorial discussions, and I learnt a lot about all the different religions across the globe which will actually come in handy in the long run. First Year is your time to experiment before you declare your major in second or third year

If you’re coming in to Uni without knowing anyone, get involved in any O-Week activities or clubs. Grace didn’t know anyone coming in to Uni last year, but she went to the O-Week beach day my campus held and came out of it with some great friends! Having friends on campus will make your Uni experience a lot less scary. Also, check out what clubs and societies your campus has. It’s a great way to meet people who love the same things you do, and also can give you great benefits. For example, our Uni has a Coffee Appreciation Club and for like a $5 joining fee, each week you get free coffee at a different café on campus! FREE COFFEE! Nothing makes a Uni student happier.

 
Do your bibliography while writing your essay. Once you decide to use a source, take note of EVERY BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAIL of that source and store it before you leave it. Keeping on top of your sources will save a lot of time when it comes to finalising your essay ready to submit.

Attend your lectures as often as you can, if not all of them.You have a time set aside in your schedule for you to watch this lecture, why not use it? Watching lectures online, while helpful, do not always work and you can become distracted on other things on the internet. 

Grades/marks might be important to you, but if you’re really stressing about a subject, just remember: P’s Get Degrees! This isn’t year 12 anymore where every mark counts and determines which course you get into. You’ve done the work, and that is over. Now you are in Uni and sure, marks might matter to future employers or if you want to do masters or post-grad, but that’s mainly your second and third year marks! You’re a first year at Uni. You’re not expected to smash everything out of the park, you basically have to relearn how to write essays etc. It’s a whole new ballgame. A few of Claire’s tutors told her last year about how bad their marks were in first year, and now they are scholars! So DON’T WORRY. As long as you pass, you’re doing alright, kid. 

ALL IN ALL, everyone is different. This is just what we found worked for us. But you might be different to us, so just take this first year to get a feel for things and figure out what works for you. We’d love to hear your own tips and lessons!