A definitive list of the things nobody tells you about student life

Are you starting uni this year? You’ll definitely want to keep reading! University of Sydney student and Media & Communications Society (MECOSOC) member Jacinda Yang is on the blog today to share the things that nobody tells you about student life. From making friends to finding the best coffee on campus, this is Jacinda’s definitive list of things you should know before you start uni. Read on …

With lockdown seemingly far in our past, universities have welcomed a cohort of fresh faces onto campus, as student life slowly returns to the norm. Campus restaurants, libraries and society events are all coming back in full swing for the year ahead. In light of this, here are some of the top things you should know about the realities of student life, and how to make the most of your time at university.

Your organisation and time management skills evolve

While you can bask in the newfound freedom of a uni student, it also comes with the responsibility of ensuring your timetable, social events, exams, assignments, jobs, internships and living errands do not clash with one another.

Get yourself a planner or become familiar with your digital calendar because you are going to need them.

Source your textbooks and required materials in advance

You are personally responsible for buying all the required materials for your classes, including your textbooks, before class starts.

An easy way to ensure that you do not get caught unaware by a tutor setting textbook readings before your first class is to use the Booktopia Textbook Finder to find and purchase the textbooks you need. You can find books you need by entering your course code, and their delivery times are fast if the book is in stock!

Booktopia can also be especially resourceful as an Australian bookstore, as it hence caters quite well to the books required by Australian university courses.

Doing a reading is different to ‘normal’ reading

At some point in your degree, you will most likely be assigned readings to do in preparation for classes. These are often copious textbook extracts, lengthy academic papers and long-winded articles. A lot of new students are often faced with what seems to be an impossible stack of pages to get through before each week.

The bottom line is reading for university is a different skill to reading for leisure. You are expected to skim the text and come away with just the important points, which you should highlight or note down. If you have a reading-heavy subject, I recommend viewing the lecture first to see which points your class will be focusing on, so you know what parts of the reading to focus on when you prepare for the tutorial.

University libraries and faculties also often offer specific seminars or guides on how to best complete readings so keep an eye out for those!

Lessons work best if you have done the prep

To the chagrin of many tutors, students often neglect the preparation required for tutorials/seminars, be it readings, a required viewing, or a quiz. These are easy to skip out on because it often seems you can get by without having done them. There are also often no marks deducted for not completing them.

However, remember, these lessons are designed assuming you have done your tutorial/seminar preparation and class participation marks often rely on them.

Trust me, the amount I got out of a lesson increased drastically when I finally decided to take my readings seriously!

Making friends takes time and effort

Throughout your university journey, you are going to meet so many people and you will inevitably pick up some good friends. However, the start of that journey can be daunting, especially in a new environment around new people.

My biggest advice is to be friendly and open to relationships whenever you are on campus: start a conversation with the person next to you in a lecture hall, or tutorial, sign up to societies, or get involved in volunteering opportunities. Your fellow uni students are generally up for a good chat and will not turn you away. There are people I still talk to who I met in my first tutorial!

However, do not forget to follow up with new friends! Invite them to study hangouts, or to a coffee before class. Remember, friendships are a two-way street, and if you do not reach out after your first meeting, that friendship often does not get the chance to grow.

Be prepared for culture shock

No matter what your background is, or which high school you came from, I can guarantee you that uni life will bring you into contact with people from walks of life you have never been exposed to. You will meet people from different cultures, with different upbringings and political ideals. Keep an open mind and you might just learn a thing or two!

There is something on a campus for everyone!

Take the time to explore the clubs, societies and events run on the campus and by the university you are attending. These cater to a wide range of interests, from the film societies for cinephiles, to student theatre for blossoming actors and directors, to mah-jong clubs for keen players. They provide a great outlet to develop your passions and make new friends.

If your university does not cater to your interests, another one might! Most universities do not require you to be a student to participate in their clubs and societies. Feel free to join in on events from nearby universities and expand your social circle!

Take breaks

It is hard sometimes to not get swept up with the excitement of the new freedoms and experiences that can come with being a uni student. Give yourself time to relax so you do not end up burning out.

One of my favourite things to do now is to read in my spare time. The chaos of online learning and first-year jitters left me feeling quite overwhelmed and this year I rediscovered my love for reading, which reminds me to take time to myself.

It is okay to not take the traditional degree plan

Life happens.

A lot of people enter university with a set idea of how the next few years are going to play out. A lot of people are also eager to complete their degree in a specified time frame with a normal study load.

The more people I meet in uni, the more I realise that there is no strict path that you must follow to complete your degree. It is such a normal occurrence for students to transfer out of their degrees because they found another passion. Students also defer for a semester or move to part-time study if they find full-time study overwhelming, or if they want to explore other options. Sometimes circumstances out of your control arise and you are needed elsewhere for a semester.

Your degree is flexible, and you are welcome to adjust your study to suit your life circumstances. Do not feel obligated to take the ‘normal’ degree path.

Explore your campus!

While most students will get the hang of campus pretty quickly as they settle into classes, I highly recommend having a look around to see what local gems you can find!

Sometimes timetables leave hours for students to kill between classes and the campus itself limits you to studying or grabbing a bite. However, for a change of scenery, you can always pop down to a local thrift store, shopping centre, or even the beach!

The best coffee on campus often takes time to find

It really does take a lot of trial and (dishwater-like) error.

While this is a definitive list of things I wish someone had told me about student life before I entered my first-year, your experiences over the next couple of years will be your own. Make new memories, study hard and make the most of this unique period of your life!

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