It’s hard to know what university is like until you get there, and all universities are different. So, what IS university really like? We have tried to give you a realistic view and some advice on what to do and where to go for support.

Studying at University is a new experience for everybody. Whilst all students look forward to the prospect of becoming more independent; the reality of making new friends and getting used to a new environment and way of studying, can be challenging and takes time to get used to.

One of the best (and in some ways scariest!) things at uni is that nobody checks up on you or tells you what to do. At university you will find that a lot of your study is self-directed. This means that you are expected to be an independent learner and you will be responsible for planning when you are going to work, managing your own workload and conflicting deadlines.

Typical challenges students encounter are

• Time management which is one of the biggest problems, especially during the first year when everything is still new.
• Coping with large amounts of learning material, with lots of variation, that needs dealing with quickly and efficiently.
• The new social environment – new tutors, other students, the people you live with, etc…
• Life skills – laundry, cooking simple meals, budgeting, keeping up with uni info (social media channels and your university email once set up – don’t ignore it as it’s the only way the uni will get in touch when you start), sorting out a student bank account, getting a doctor close to uni, managing technology (back everything up!).
• Finding your way around campus – campus maps exist, but sometimes it’s a good idea to use spare time allowing yourself to familiarise yourself with the buildings you need to visit, and getting lost is OK.

It’s important to let someone know if you feel overwhelmed by all the new challenges and changes. Find someone you trust and talk things through with them.

• Organise your workspace – use a fixed workplace to study, or go to the library. Find a place where you are distracted as little as possible. Make sure that there is only stuff on the desk or table that you need for studying – no distractions!
• Manage your time – try to figure out on what activities use your time ineffectively and minimise these. Plan your day so that e.g. chatting on social media and web browsing does not take up more than 1 hour, get up and start studying earlier in the morning if you are planning to go out in the evening, etc.
• Cope with bad days – there are days when nothing works, e.g. you cannot find the solution to a problem in the assignment, you cannot focus on the task, etc….STOP! Go out and get some fresh air, go to the gym or the cinema or something else you enjoy. Sometimes you simply need a distraction.
• Routine – devote regular time periods to your work. It stops things getting too last minute and panicky.
• Look after yourself – eat and drink healthily and regularly, shower regularly, wash your clothes, get some exercise and make sure you have enough sleep.
• Get going – sometimes it’s difficult to get started with your work when you know it’s not due in for a while. “Free writing” can help – it doesn’t matter if what you’re writing is rubbish, just make yourself write for 10 minutes and you might find it easier to get on with it. There are other tricks you can employ like filling a Word document with headings, subheadings and bullet points and turning those into sentences and paragraphs.
• Be part of uni life – Everything is social at uni, which can be tough for some. Your life will feel connected to others outside the family much more than at school or work, and you will see fellow students everywhere, so if you live at home or like to stay in your room then try to spend time around campus outside of lectures.

If you have moved out of home, can you cook simple meals, do your laundry and manage your finances? –

• We would recommend you shop for food and practice cooking simple meals prior to coming to University,
• Make sure you have a plan for managing your laundry and housework. The Disability and Wellbeing Service has a Community Service Volunteer, who may be able to help if you initially find this difficult.

Do you need support with time management, note-taking or reading academic material? –

Jules Dracott                                                                                                                                                              June 2019