Advice To All Freshers

The start of term is an exciting time for those of us involved in Academia and those who must have experienced this.– new students are arriving on campus, full of enthusiasm, hope, the first class spirit questions and many more.

A Friend once told me that during Matriculation Ceremony , the number of students being celebrated is more compared to that of graduation. That threw a poke on me as it is something worth thinking. The strategy involved for University Scheme is different for the one used during your high school days. Back in school, a student might not come for class but at the end of the term still come out as the best. Have seen a school where a student spent the whole of the session in the hospital but came up as the best in that class :O How did it happen? I don’t know but to be sincere, if you employ that strategy in school, you “might find it difficult” to succeed as some lecturers are very strict when it comes to people not coming early for class or not attending at all.

So in this post, i would be sharing with our “Newly Admitted Students” some tips that would help them succeed while in school. These tips were as a result of interviews gotten from those who went and conquered so using them would be a bonus for you. Please Read and Share.

Be organised: When you first arrive and have time on your hands will mean that the scene is set for studying and socializing before life gets too busy. So register for your course, check that your loan has arrived, pay any tuition and hall fees, sign on with a new GP, get your library card and NUS card, and buy any items you may have forgotten to bring from home. Make sure that you have the necessary things in your room to be able to offer your new neighbors tea, coffee or a drink, as this is a good way to get to know them.

Have an agenda, and use it: This seems like pretty obvious advice, but you would be surprised how many students (and Professors!) don’t have a good system for managing time. University is a lot about managing your time: getting to classes, dealing with e-mails, assignments, planning for exams, Facebook, and squeezing in a social life, or a part-time job. It’s a struggle to manage all these tasks, and to help with this, develop a clear and straightforward system of ‘calendar + tasks‘. Under calendar, include your class schedule, important dates and meetings, and most importantly, LOOK at the calendar regularly! I personally prefer using an on-line calendar that syncs with my phone – but some people prefer the old-fashion (yet dependable) hard-copy calendar. For tasks, include short-term tasks (with deadlines – cross-referenced with your calendar) and long-term tasks, so that you are reminded of deadlines. I use a small notebook for my task list, and it is always with me – for me, the act of physically writing down a task list helps me remember what I need to work on. A good system for your agenda and tasks will make your life a lot easier. Furthermore, effective use of an agenda and task list will help you refine your time management skills, and these skills are truly essential to success at University (and for your career, beyond…).

Attend lectures, You Paid For it: Lectures are there for a reason: they provide you with value-added content. It’s true that some of the content may be available on-line, or with a text-book, but in most cases, lectures will help to draw connections between different content, and/or provide a valuable context to the material that might be in the textbook or on-line. Professors take a lot of pride in lecturing, and work hard to make the lectures engaging, interesting, and thought-provoking. You will soak up an amazing amount of material by just being in lectures, and paying attention.

NETWORK: Last Week, We published an article on how networking can help you get the best out of the university. The truth is , the university is like a bag filled with random objects. You should be expecting different kinds of fellow there but networking with the right kind of people can go a long way in helping you achieve that goal. For More details, read on How Networking can Help You in School.

Ask questions: In most of my conversation with students, I tell students them that there are no silly questions (except for “Will this be on the exam?”). This is very, very true. If you are confused about a concept, or failed to get the point of a slide, or discussion, you must ask for clarification. Although it can be intimidating to ask a question in a large lecture hall, it’s important to try. If you are confused, it’s highly likely that other student’s are also confused. You are helping yourself, and your peers, when you put your hand up.

STUDY Strategy: In order to keep control of your commitments, write out a personal timetable which includes any employment obligations, scheduled study such as lectures, at least one library session per week, private study, planned activities such as clubs and societies, and time for rest and relaxation with your friends. Try to stick to it in principle. Even if you have not had time to do the background reading, make sure that you try to attend all your lectures, seminars and tutorials as this will help you to form an impression of the broader picture. Keep copies of all written work, back up your computer and keep the discs in a safe place.
Build yourself, not your resume. Many students will do extracurricular or gain leadership positions just because they want to impress future employers. However, if they focus more on developing themselves as strong, well-rounded people, they will be far more memorable in interviews and in the working world.

The Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns applies to your GPA, too:. Of course, you should maintain a respectable GPA, but know that once you cross 3.5, it matters less and less. The difference between an A and an A- is not worth you endlessly poring over a textbook instead of spending valuable time with friends or working on extracurricular activities. The amount of energy needed to get perfect grades could be put to better use.