People joining a University from one country to another or after a gap in their studies may find the whole university routine exciting at first, but after joining the university; it may be exhausting for some. Some may struggle with making new friends in their course, the others may wonder how to write a plagiarism free paper so that they can get good marks. Here are some of the things I did in order to survive my first semester at University;
Understand the grading system of each module:
Surviving your first semester by passing or getting good marks is necessary as it sets your pace to survive at the next semesters. Usually the initial semesters of any course are easy and if you are successful in getting good marks in each module of first semester, then it can cover any setbacks in your second semester. For this, you first need to understand the grading system of your university and how marks are divided across each module. Usually a module may consists of exams, coursework, tutorials or laboratory work and description of grading in each module may be given to you during introductory lectures of each module. Make sure you understand how the grading works and then focus on your weaknesses in each section to prepare getting good marks.
Make reading your habit:
The second part has a lot to do with writing essays, research paper or assignments as part of your module coursework and this can be difficult for many students. At University, the key is to read a lot of material from the library in the form of research papers, journal articles or class notes and people who have slow reading skills are likely to be left behind. Hence enhance your reading skills by getting books from the library within first few weeks of the university to increase your reading speed. After developing your reading speed, you will notice that you can now write in a better way as ideas quickly come to the minds of people who read a lot. Reading books or research papers also enlighten you towards the way a book or a research paper to be structured for academic purposes.
Attend workshops to enhance your skills:
Many things you will study at university will be new to you such as learning a new software or writing a plagiarism free essay. Almost all the great universities have many workshops outside of academic departments which can help you to enhance your skills e.g. academic writing workshops where you can show your work to experts for proofreading or SPSS workshops allowing you to carry out statistical analyses. Get yourself familiar with any workshops available at your university and enroll in them to get the best of learning experience.
Make many friends:
Networking with professors or your fellow students not only ensures that you enjoy your time at the university but also ensures that you can get help in your studies or even job applications. Making friends also allow you to learn from others in your course and improve your team working skills essential for any career or course involving group projects. Meeting with people from different backgrounds and cultures also enhances one’s intercultural skills and develops an appreciation for diversity.
Do not forget your meals:
Learning to cook is an essential part of university life that can save you from skipping meals in middle of your thesis work or group projects and can also keep your stomach happy if you do not like the food the university canteens. Working hard at university requires you to be active; hence do not forget to have your meals amidst busy study routine.