Campus life is one of the greatest moments one can ever have as a
student, mentality aligned towards the first-class palava and we all
feel like we just won a Grammy award. But the sad news is, the number of
students being celebrated for admission will be far higher compared to
that of graduation. Don’t throw a punch at me as it is something worthy
of thinking. The strategy involved in the University Setting is quite
different from the one used during your secondary school days. So in
this write-up, I will be sharing with our “Newly Admitted Students” some
tips that would help them succeed while in school. These tips are a
no-brainer and no guarantee to success though, they are just some
helpful hints that might boost your stand as a student on campus.
#1 Be organised: When you first arrive, you will have time on your hands, a time for socializing before life gets too busy. So register for your courses, 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 before lecture commences. Do not get carried away with the euphoria of being a fresher.
#2 Set an agenda and follow 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.
#1 Be organised: When you first arrive, you will have time on your hands, a time for socializing before life gets too busy. So register for your courses, 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 before lecture commences. Do not get carried away with the euphoria of being a fresher.
#2 Set an agenda and follow 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.
#3
University is a lot about managing your time: getting to classes,
dealing with e-mails, assignments, planning for exams 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. 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…)
#4 Attend lectures: You Paid For it and they are there for a reason. Most students come in with the “U=I will be very serious and attend all classes” mentality but they tend to backslide due to some forces that an African woman might consider spiritual. Unknown to them is that lecturers provide you with value-added content. It’s true that some of the content may be available on-line, or with a textbook, but in most cases, lecturers will help to draw connections between different contents, and/or provide a valuable context for 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, not all of them though. You will soak up an amazing amount of materials by just being in lectures, and paying attention.
#5 Connect With People: The truth is, the university is like a bag filled with random objects. You should be expecting different kinds of fellow from all walks of life. But networking with the right kind of people can go a long way in helping you achieve that goal.
#6 Ask questions: Do not form big boy, you are not! There are no silly questions (except for “Will this be on the exam?”). This is very, very true. If you are confused about something 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 students are also confused. You are helping yourself, and your peers when you put your hand up.
#7 Have A 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 two library sessions 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.
#8 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. Enjoy Yourself
#9 Have time to relax: You are not expected to carry books and start reading on the first day of resumption, you will still read and beg to stop. Enjoy yourself, make new friends, if you are the type that like girls, you will get a lot to mix with, participate in the euphoria, let people know you.
This is because your fresher days is when you will have most of the time to enjoy, subsequent years might not be so funny.
#4 Attend lectures: You Paid For it and they are there for a reason. Most students come in with the “U=I will be very serious and attend all classes” mentality but they tend to backslide due to some forces that an African woman might consider spiritual. Unknown to them is that lecturers provide you with value-added content. It’s true that some of the content may be available on-line, or with a textbook, but in most cases, lecturers will help to draw connections between different contents, and/or provide a valuable context for 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, not all of them though. You will soak up an amazing amount of materials by just being in lectures, and paying attention.
#5 Connect With People: The truth is, the university is like a bag filled with random objects. You should be expecting different kinds of fellow from all walks of life. But networking with the right kind of people can go a long way in helping you achieve that goal.
#6 Ask questions: Do not form big boy, you are not! There are no silly questions (except for “Will this be on the exam?”). This is very, very true. If you are confused about something 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 students are also confused. You are helping yourself, and your peers when you put your hand up.
#7 Have A 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 two library sessions 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.
#8 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. Enjoy Yourself
#9 Have time to relax: You are not expected to carry books and start reading on the first day of resumption, you will still read and beg to stop. Enjoy yourself, make new friends, if you are the type that like girls, you will get a lot to mix with, participate in the euphoria, let people know you.
This is because your fresher days is when you will have most of the time to enjoy, subsequent years might not be so funny.
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