Things I wish I knew in my First Year of Uni
So, the first semester of university has begun. If you’re like me, you absolutely dread going back to uni. There are some things though that I’ve noticed I’m doing in my second year that I wish I did in my first year. So if you’re going into your first year, here are a few things that would be beneficial to you and your studies! :)
Contribute in class discussions
I’m generally such an anxious person, so I was quite surprised to see that this year I’m participating more in my class discussions. I never put my hand up in my first year, as I didn’t want to get an answer wrong and be judged. But this year I really don’t care, haha! If you put your hand up in class and get an answer wrong, who tf cares? At least you took that brave step to try and contribute to the class discussion, and now you’ll learn where you got the topic wrong. I personally hate when the tutor asks the group a question and it is dead silence, so even if you participated and got it wrong, at least it cut through the awkward silence of no one saying anything at all.
Bring your own lunch to Uni
Food at the university is so expensive! It cost me $7 for a coffee the other day, which, if you’re not a coffee drinker and don’t know, that is way overpriced. Last year I was spending way too much money on the uni’s food and drink, and it took a fair chunck out of my bank account. So in my second year, I’ve decided to make my lunch at home and bring it to uni. I know the food that you make for your lunch doesn’t taste as nice as the food on campus, but it will save you heaps of money in the long run.
Not waiting till last minute
Getting on top of lectures is a major priority! In my first year, I was really slack with watching lectures, and that in turn made me fall behind in my courses. This year, I’m really going to prioritize watching all my lectures 3-4 days in advance to my tutorials. Also, make sure you do tutorial activities and lecture activities before your tutorials to really understand the content better. And it might also make you confident in raising your hand in class discussions!
Utilise the library more
I find it so hard to study and motivate myself at home with other family members around, so this year I’m going to utilize the university’s library more often. I find that going into the library gives me more motivation, and I tend to get loads more work done than what I would do at home.
