Going to university is not some small change in your life that doesn’t affect you at all. It is something that can completely reshape it and will hopefully set you up for the future. It is also something that is hard to prepare for until you are actually in that position. Even when you are there, it is easy to feel lost and make choices that don’t entirely benefit you, especially in the first semester. I would say that my first semester was a big learning opportunity for me and below are three things that I want to change come semester two.
1 – Lectures
If I am being completely honest my attendance at lectures in semester one was quite poor. I found that I would get bored and zone out which meant I would miss out on important information. The lecturers can also talk at a fast pace resulting in you constantly typing on your keyboard focusing on the words themselves and not what they actually meant. As a result, I started to watch all the lectures at home which allowed me to pause, think and actually get some decent notes. That may sound like a positive however the problem with watching them online instead is that if you don’t catch up straight away, you begin to get more and more behind and the “to watch” lectures start to stack up. Eventually you will have to skip lectures to catch up on the lectures a week before and trust me this is not good. So what I have learnt from this is to simply go to your lectures, it means you won’t get behind and you will establish a routine.
A common post it on my desk
2 – Timetable
Planning the perfect timetable is a skill that takes time to master. You don’t realize how important your timetable actually is until you begin university. What I have found and have now learnt from is that if you aren’t a morning person during high school, you won’t become one at university, so if possible, take the afternoon streams. You also don’t need to leave gaps between lectures and tutorials as you are given a 10-minute period to get between buildings. Once again if it is possible, try and avoid selecting the stream where lectures go after about 5pm because it will be a lot harder for you to actually turn up.
Law exam seminar – after 6pm but definitely worth it!!
3 – Variety
Auckland is a city where something is always happening, so make the most out of it. Find events to go to, places to visit and food to eat, just do something new. In semester one, I found that I stuck to the same routine of university during the week and partying on the weekend. Whilst that is fun and I did make great memories, that is something you can do anywhere. Therefore, this semester I want to actually do other things and change it up. We have already planned a trip to the zoo and got tickets to Jono and Ben, which is almost more than what we did for 12 weeks. Don’t just fall into a routine!
Exploring on the waterfront!
Fingers crossed that you have learnt what not to do and that I succeed in making these changes 🙂
Amy!