{"id":49480,"date":"2019-09-20T12:32:20","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T19:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=49480"},"modified":"2019-09-20T12:32:20","modified_gmt":"2019-09-20T19:32:20","slug":"how-to-survive-university-top-tips-for-new-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/how-to-survive-university-top-tips-for-new-students\/","title":{"rendered":"How to survive university \u2013 top tips for new students"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nThe prospect of going to university is exciting but can also be a daunting time. There are many questions to address and a number of unknowns, then there\u2019s the challenge of imposter syndrome \u2013 wondering\u00a0whether you\u2019ll fit in<\/a>\u00a0with other students along with fears about how to make your own way in the world. And that\u2019s before you\u2019ve even thought about how to be a successful student.<\/p>\n

There are a number of nuggets of wisdom we would love to be able to give our younger selves to smooth the path through university. Some are to do with balancing study and paid work, others to do with balancing study and\u00a0social life<\/a>. But on reflection, one of the most important would be changing the way we looked at, and interacted with, the assessments we had to complete as part of our degrees.<\/p>\n

In our roles at Staffordshire University, we have both become increasingly interested in how students learn within higher education. Our\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0looks at how talking with peers, tutors, family and friends can\u00a0prepare students for assessments<\/a>\u00a0and make the most of feedback.<\/p>\n

To be clear, at university you are not a student being taught history, economics or biology. You are \u201cbecoming\u201d a historian, economist or biologist. So start this from day one \u2013 behave as the historian, economist or biologist \u2013- don\u2019t wait to be told you are one.<\/p>\n

Get to know your tutors<\/h4>\n

Time flies at university. You start late September, blink, and it\u2019s Christmas. Early on you receive coursework titles and submission details. so make a note in your planner of times, dates and method of submission.<\/p>\n

Tutors give lists of what they look for in assignments and the marking criteria. These show standards required to achieve a percentage grade. Speak with your tutor if anything is unclear \u2013 sometimes tutors can use words or expressions that are new to you, or have a different meaning to what you imagine. This is why it\u2019s important to ask for clarification \u2013 ultimately this is also how you learn the\u00a0language of your subject<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have a support network<\/h4>\n

If you are struggling, talk to people \u2013\u00a0your tutor, peers and family<\/a>\u00a0are all there to help you. Don\u2019t close in on yourself or start thinking \u201cI can\u2019t do this\u201d \u2013 you can. Seek guidance and think about what needs to be different to make the situation OK.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re finding your assignments difficult, talk to other students in your lectures or seminars. Hearing not just different viewpoints but seeing where others are coming from gives breadth to your work. Listen to your peers and practise expressing your own views \u2013 this can help to give you clarity around tricky subjects and will help you to grow and expand in your scholarly work. But don\u2019t try to be someone else \u2013 even those who appear more successful than you.<\/p>\n

Learn from your mistakes<\/h4>\n

When it comes to essays and assessments, your first attempt shouldn\u2019t be your last. You need to read over your drafts and make changes to what you have written. This is editing, it makes for a more successful assignment \u2013 as rarely can you write something just right first time round.<\/p>\n

Tutors are encouraged to give\u00a0formative feedback<\/a>\u00a0which should help to shape your draft assignments \u2013 so ask them for their thoughts. This is how you develop more effective practices, through talking and working with tutors and peers. Know that university assignments are doable, it\u2019s just about how you meet the challenge.<\/p>\n

Recognise your achievements<\/h4>\n

As well as learning from your mistakes, it\u2019s also important to always recognise what you have achieved \u2013 it can be a great motivation. Look back on your assignments and recognise how you are improving. This is what\u2019s known as\u00a0ipsative feedback<\/a>\u00a0and it allows you to work towards a personal best by recognising how you are improving in your own work rather than simply competing against others. As you are going through your first year recognise you are changing and perhaps becoming more effective in the use of language of your discipline \u2013 notice the becoming.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt about it, starting university can be a scary time, but knowing how to tackle your assignments, having a support network and being open to new learning experiences can all make the process much smoother \u2013 and will hopefully help you enjoy your studies over the coming years.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Paul Orsmond is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences and Education and Richard Halfpenny is a Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences and Education both at Staffordshire University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The prospect of going to university is exciting but can also be a daunting time. There are many questions to address and a number of unknowns, then there\u2019s the challenge of imposter syndrome \u2013 wondering\u00a0whether you\u2019ll fit in\u00a0with other students along with fears about how to make your own way in the world. And that\u2019s […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":49481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[295417],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-49480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-survive-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to survive university \u2013 top tips for new students - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/how-to-survive-university-top-tips-for-new-students\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to survive university \u2013 top tips for new students - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The prospect of going to university is exciting but can also be a daunting time. 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