Studying
Although learning is probably the last thing on your mind, it’s
important that you go to your lectures. It’s normally only about
five hours a week (that’s less than one average day at work!) and
it can be really hard to catch up if you fall behind.
You could just cope with work - allowing yourself the maximum
free time for sleeping until neighbours comes on, watching TV and
drinking at the student union. But, the students who follow this
approach are usually the ones left without a degree at the end of
the three years.
University is very different to school. How much studying you do
is left up to you. You’re expected to do a lot of work outside of
lectures, without having to be asked to do it. Sometimes,
lecturers will give out work which is not expected to be handed in
for marking. It’s important to realise that this work has to be
done (even though it’s not being given in or marked) to gain a
thorough understanding of the subject.
There aren’t small classes like at school. It’s mainly lectures
which consist of large groups of students (100s) who sit and listen
to a lecturer for one or two hours. It’s a bit like a cinema but
without the popcorn! There’s not much interaction between the
students and the lecturer. It can take some getting used to at
first, but after a while it will all seem normal. There is some
tutorial time where smaller groups of students get together with
tutors to go over topics (similar to classes at school). This time
should be used wisely because it’s your chance to ask questions
about things you don’t understand. If you prepare for these
tutorials you’ll get a lot out of them.
The amount of work that is expected of you is obviously a lot
more than when you were at school. It will depend on what course
you are doing, but you should allow at least three hours for every
lecture you have. This will enable you to go through the lecture
notes, prepare for the tutorial and do any reading that’s
needed.
Make sure you give yourself some free time because it’s
important to relax. Most universities keep Wednesday afternoons
free. This is when sports matches are played against other
universities. So, it’s likely you’ll be free on Wednesday afternoon
as well as other days.
It’s easy to forget your work because it’s not like school and
you’re not reminded of essay deadlines. You are given an assessment
sheet at the beginning and that’s it. It’s up to you to remember
them.
Top tips:
Get yourself a calendar and mark up any important dates ie:
deadlines, as soon as you get your assessment sheets. This will be
a good way to see what’s coming up and also if two big assignments
are due at the same time – you can manage your workload better.
If you don’t have your own computer and you’re using university
ones, remember to leave extra time. You won’t be the only person
who has an assignment deadline and so the computer rooms will be
packed with panicked students rushing to get theirs finished on
time. The peak times are from about 12noon til 4pm, but don’t be
surprised if they’re still busy at 6ish when work is due in. Your
best bet is to get down there early