It is easy when you start at university to see big spaces between lectures and to think the first year is just a time to make friends and party!

 

Of course it is, but if you can learn some of the skills required for researching, and writing assignments under less pressure, these are skills worth learning in this first year. You can try out writing and learn what the ‘style’ is that your tutors expect. This may be quite different from what was expected at school. It is worth seeing some completed assignments if you can to see what a finished one looks like.

 

Plan out your week so that when there is ‘down’ time it is not spend sleeping or drinking coffee all the time. Managing an hour or two of your work on a regular basis can make the difference between just skimming or doing really well.

 

Go to the library induction and study skills training if it is offered to you. This can be really useful. Making friends with the librarians can really pay off as you can ask them for advice on where to get the most recent papers and books etc.

 

Set up your timetable on your computer and use a diary system such as Entourage (on Apple) and Outlook (on Microsoft). This can provide you with reminders for all tasks and your social activities. It also has a to-do list. It can sync with your mobile phone usually as well.