Michael's take: 'What I wish I knew about being a fresher'
By Michael Sampong – 25th September 2024
Michael Sampong, a Politics and international relations student, gives his take on how to survive uni. Turns out it’s a lot more than just attending Freshers Week events and you need to be SUPER organised. As he says… fail to plan - plan to fail!
When I first arrived at university last year, I thought I was prepared for everything. My thinking was, “Oh, first year of uni doesn’t count - it’s just attending lectures and joining societies.” Let’s just say I was extremely wrong.
The switch from being an A-Level student who only had to focus on good grades, to a university student who not only has to get good grades, but also live independently for the first time, learn how to organise as well as socialise, and more.
It’s safe to say I had to learn the hard way. But I’ve written this piece to share with you what I wish I knew when I was a fresher, so that you don't make the mistakes I did. Do all of this and you’ll make your first year even greater!
‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’: The case for being organised.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” should be your motto at uni. With so many deadlines, readings, and events, it is so easy to be overwhelmed and end up procrastinating on what you need to do. You need a system that works for you and that allows you to get stuff done without thinking too much, whether this is writing a daily to-do list or putting all your assignment deadlines into your calendar. This was the biggest mistake I made, as I just assumed that I would be able to remember what I needed to do. However, now I try to note down key info on my Apple Notes app so that I don’t need to waste time remembering and using that brainpower on completing these tasks and assignments.
Budget - but not too much.
Not budgeting at the start of first year meant that I spent money on unnecessary costs, like chocolate bars after most lectures! Keep track of what you spend your money on, so that you can save your money for more essential things that you truly need. One key thing to note is make sure you’re not too strict on your budget, as you will probably end up hating it and eventually ignore it. Your budget should have some room for extra spontaneous spending as well as university can be very unpredictable at times!
Be honest with yourself about lectures.
The worst thing that you can do as a fresher is miss your lectures. If you skip lectures thinking that you are going to be catching up on them and watch them later, you're lying to yourself, I’m afraid. Skipping lectures limits your study, AND sets a bad habit of not going to lectures, period. It’s easy to do what I did and find random excuses to avoid going to lectures, but you need to fight back against this urge. Make your lectures nonnegotiable and you will have great grades.
Don’t copy lecture slides.
You should always take proper notes in lectures.
Don’t just take what you see on the slides and just copy it down.
Don’t just listen passively to what the lecture is saying and not take any info in.
The way to do it, is to write down what the lecturer SAYS, rather than what the slides say. This is because the slides will always be there as you can download the presentation later, and can read them after the lecture has finished. So I recommend that you take effective notes, and that you also ask the lecturer any questions you have after the lecture or during their office hours.
Become a Yes Man.
First year is the time where you say yes to as many opportunities as you can - whether it's events, whether it's meetings, whether it's opportunities. Just try to do as much as you can. Uni goes by in a flash, so try to make the most of it; try to go to career fairs, go to events, meet new people, do as many new things as you can. This is essential in first year and Freshers season, as it will set you up for a great year. I wish I spent way more time doing things that were outside of my comfort zone and things that I've never done before. I can’t turn back the time and do it - but you can!
That's fantastic Michael, nice one! Some really good advice in there. Still got some burning questions about starting uni? You should ask our huge online student community on our platform, who can help you with everything from settling in + making friends, all the way through to advice for applying for one of our graduate job roles on our platform. If you're needing help with balancing with your time at uni while still trying to level up your career, you should apply for a career mentor on the Zero Gravity platform.
