YEAR ONE ‘FUN’

Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a great day.

As I have recently become a graduate student, I thought it would be good to make some content around academics, specifically around university, posting some of my experiences and advice that I feel would be useful and beneficial for students.
Some of the things I have mentioned are what I have learnt and what I wish I knew before starting university.

The content below is what I presented in a Powerpoint Presentation for some students when I mentored them in their first year. These are generic tips as I know all the students who read this may not have studied anything healthcare-related (like I did).

Nonetheless, I hope these are helpful!

01.

GENERAL ADVICE

*MONEY: get into the habit of budgeting and saving. Prioritize what you spend your money on and know where it is going. This is important, especially when living away from home as you will need to be able to pay your bills, pay for groceries and university essentials (provided they are not free) before you spend money on things that are not necessarily a priority. If that means living below your means for a period of time, then so be it!
*LIFESTYLE AND SOCIALISING: sometimes university can change your usual routine. Make sure you find time to balance your personal, social and university life so there is some structure in your life.
*KNOW WHEN YOU NEED A BREATHER: Learn to recognise when you’re getting burnt out. Find what helps you detox and relax. It can be detrimental to carry on working when you’re burnt out, as the quality of your work goes downhill. I say this because I burnt myself out at one point and it became unhealthy and stressful.
*LECTURERS: try and build a good relationship with your lecturers. It’ll make them recognize you more and build networks. ALSO, ASK QUESTIONS! Difficult work/modules don’t randomly disappear. Tackle them once you get the chance. You can’t always ‘wing’ it.
*PEER PRESSURE: don’t feel like you must go out all the time, especially during freshers. Things calm down once the season of freshers expires. If you don’t feel like going, don’t force yourself or be pressured into going. Do what makes you feel comfortable.
*WORKLOAD: Start work as soon as you get it instead of putting it off until the last minute – it’ll save a lot of hassle and stress, and you’ll have the free time to socialise afterwards. Remember ‘deadlines aren’t really deadlines’
*EXPECTATIONS: Don’t expect to be spoon-fed anything. Make sure you do your extra work/research
*COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL: it’s up to you to make it for yourself. Do things that you are afraid of doing. You only get as much as you put in (this applies to everything)

The link in the image is a video on youtube called: 6 Signs of Stress You Shouldn’t Ignore

03.

SOCIETIES/ACTIVITIES – Have Fun!

*Getting involved in sports clubs, societies, social groups.
*Finding volunteering and part-time work is a great way to meet new people and network and gain new skills.
*Enjoy your time at university and ensure you strike a healthy balance between studying and your social life. You don’t want the academic side of university to overpower and overtake your leisure and pleasure time. *Studying abroad – if the opportunity strikes, jump on it! Sad fact: I had the opportunity presented to me twice but guess what!? BREXIT and COVID laughed at the ideas and said “not on my watch sis!!” Studying abroad comes with so many benefits such as: building your network, becoming culturally exposed and competent, builds your confidence, broadens your horizons, gain further understanding and knowledge of a different system etc.
•Becoming a course/student ambassador.
•Volunteering as a representative for your hall of residence.
•Contributing to the student newspaper.
•Working for the student’s union.