Hi!
I officially finished my first year of uni last week. So, I’m officially a second year student, kind of scary but yay :)
I wanted to share what I learnt so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.
Tips
Ask seniors. Always ask your seniors for advice. They’ve been through the exact same thing you’re going to go through. They know which classes are hard, which teachers suck, and most importantly, how to survive.
Ask seniors about your upcoming semester. Which class is hard? Which teacher is bad? Any tips for the test?
Do your absolute best for coursework. Your final is going to be much harder than the coursework. So put in a lot of effort into your coursework so your final exams aren’t too stressful.
Imagine having a class that’s 50% coursework and 50% final exam. If you get 45/50 for your coursework, it takes so much pressure off your final!
Work with your peers. Don’t compete.
Ask questions, learn from them. Work together to understand the material. Learning difficult concepts becomes so much easier when you work with others. You get to see it in a different way and fill in knowledge gaps.
Don’t stress over grades too much. If you’re like me and used to be the top of the school. Please don’t come into university thinking it’ll be the same. You’re now surrounded by others who were also the top of their school. Most likely, you’ll become an average student and that’s okay!
Remember, when we graduate we all get the same degree. A 3.5 and 4.0 CGPA are both first class degrees. The small details don’t matter in the long run. I struggled so much with needing to be the top, but I accepted this reality by the end of the year.
I also tend to tell myself this: If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room
Do things alone. Everyone’s busy and no one cares.
I get self-conscious when I’m doing things alone in public, whether it’s eating, studying, shopping etc. But, when I think about it, when have I ever judged or even cared that someone was alone? Never! Literally no one cares if you’re doing things alone. Everyone’s busy, and as we get older, our schedules aren’t going to align much anymore.
Have fun! Especially in your first year. This period of life is for you to discover and experience things, to grow as a person. Try new things, get out of your comfort zone!
I know it’s hard to get out of your comfort zone. It was hard for me to break out of my shell, and I’m still working on it. But please say yes to more things and take things one step at a time. Stepping out of my comfort zone was a real game changer in my life.
I hope these tips help!
That’s all for this week, have a great week ahead!
- Grace :)
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