Five Uncommon Tips for First Year of University

Five Uncommon Tips for First Year of University

When you enter university you will hear a lot of advice, although a lot of it is good, most of it is also common sense. Sure, it is crucial to stay organized, and healthy, save money, and attend every class but, some tips are not commonly discussed. Here I want to offer what I have learned so far in my first year of university. Be sure to read beyond the bold as you will find bits and pieces of actionable advice throughout.

1. Know your circles: friends, peers, acquaintances, and colleagues. Not everyone is your friend at university. This might sound obvious, but you'll meet many people in competitive fields who might pose as friends. Do not be cynical but do not let yourself be taken advantage of. When resolving issues with peers or colleagues it’s important to be assertive, empathic, and reasonable. This approach will ensure fairness while maintaining compassion and understanding for all parties involved.

2. Master your meals: know what you like and how to cook it. The important part here is understanding how to cook efficiently. Shop smart—meaning you know how to make cost-effective meals and minimize unnecessary expenses. You may aim to expand your pallet; I have found some of the most enriching experiences through food. Although you will be busy, try to eat socially— looking back, the most memorable moments with friends happened over a meal.

3. Develop a healthy relationship with alcohol if you drink. Ideally, avoid alcohol, but if you do drink, remember this: alcohol can be fun in moderation but, can quickly become disastrous if not handled properly. Once alcohol is consumed your brain will ask for more and that is your sign that you should stop. After a slight buzz, more is never better. Learn to recognize your drinking limit. This will only benefit you and your experience at university; it may also affect your future relationship with alcohol.

4. Explore beyond the campus and have meaningful experiences. Though it is important to stay focused and not try to leave campus very often, it is also important to travel. As I mentioned some of my most meaningful experiences have come from food and a lot of that was from trying food when traveling. I’ve learned essential skills from traveling like how to buy an airplane ticket, book a restaurant reservation, book a hotel room, get from point A to B using public transportation, and effectively communicate with diverse people.

5. Make a schedule and stick to it. A calendar is not only a guaranteed way to stay organized but it will give you the freedom to do the things you want. Doing tasks full-heartedly will offer you more fulfillment. For example, I was able to get saturday night dinner with friends before exam week because I had a scheduled focused 4-hour study session in the morning. I suggest a digital calendar but a physical one works just as well. Here are some tips to follow when making your calendar.

• Add your obligations such as lectures, work, labs, etc first

• Attempt to put tasks of high priority in the mornings

• Design your perfect week around obligations including your hobbies, desired study time, physical and mental health activities, etc

• Give yourself enough time in between task

• Remember you may not achieve every task in your calendar and that’s ok. The important part is having a calendar and mostly sticking to it, aiming for 70-80% completion

• Keep your calendar dynamic

Media of the Week

For our first-ever Media of the Week, I will provide two videos to help you start your academic journey. This first video from Med School Insiders gives some basic study tips covering active vs passive recall, optimal study environment, note-taking tips, and memorization techniques.

This next video showcased by Ali Abdaal goes over an exam-studying technique dubbed the “retrospective timetable”. In the video, he explains the issues with a standard revision timetable and how to utilize a retrospective timetable instead for optimal results. This is the approach I took during my revision although, I utilized the note-taking app Notion to track my studying instead of Excel.

Final Thoughts

During university, it will be up to you to define what success looks like and how to achieve it. You will simultaneously develop the habits and skills that are key to your success. University will be a turning point in your young life and many of the actions you take now will affect the rest of your life. Keeping this in mind, it is equally important to take risks and fail along the way. Good luck on your journey and remember to have fun.