I figured that as it's September and I have quite a bit of time on my hands I would make a post about things that university has taught me. I have been at university for three years now and have one left to go - cannot believe how fast it's gone!
Anyway, here goes nothing...
1. Lectures - in terms of actual learning, going to lectures is overrated. Having said that, lectures do put you into "learning mode" and going will mean you get all the lecture notes you need, you are also likely to pick up useful tips from your lecturers. Attending will also make you wake up early and give you the opportunity to see and talk to people. In short, don't miss lectures.
2. Friends - university is likely to teach you some hard lessons when it comes to "friends". My best piece of advice is to pick carefully and value quality over quantity. I would advise you all not to have Facebook as well but I know nobody would listen..
3. Exam technique - people will say that by the time you start uni you have to have an exam/revision technique established from college. I couldn't disagree more, I think techniques change and develop throughout university. It is a lot more important to understand your capabilities in terms of how long you need to revise and it would also be helpful to understand what sort of revision doesn't work for you.
4. Human nature - you will learn a lot about the good and bad natures of humans at university. Unfortunately (or, perhaps not?) you are likely to remember the bad a lot more. Don't worry and get hung up about it though, just learn from your experiences and move on.
5. Societies - you may hear people telling you to get involved in as many activities and societies as possible. If you find a society is for you then by all means get involved! But don't fret if that's not your thing and don't force yourself to get involved just to try and fit in if it's something you're really not in to.
6. Wearing hijab - if you want to wear it then doing it before uni is quite a good time to start.
7. Lab work - this one is important: if you are doing a course which requires lab work I highly advise that you prepare well before the lesson. I know that nobody will do this - I never did - but understanding what you are actually doing in an experiment turns 3 hours of confusing hell into a wonderful learning experience.
8. Failing - luckily I've not failed a uni exam (yet), alhamduli'Allah but I have got some rubbish marks before and the worst thing you can do in that situation is blame anyone/thing but yourself. People say "don't beat yourself up about it", I say do beat yourself up about it. If you fail or get a crap mark, you have let yourself down and you are to blame. You need to change something in your attitude when it comes to revision and learning and university in general. If you do not make changes in yourself after flopping an exam, you will continue to do badly throughout the course.
9. Cheating - it's for losers. Do not cheat in exams and do not copy coursework. Take pride in your work and your results, I'd sooner fail with my integrity intact than pass knowing I didn't deserve to. You are unlikely to pass if you cheat anyway, I've seen it so many times where people cheat in the exam and end up failing and retaking the year. Don't be that loser.
10. Living out - mainly due to the fact that my parents are out-and-out Arabs, I do not live out. It doesn't bother me too much but I would have liked to experience living away from home. If you get the opportunity to do so, I would say take it. Living at home does have it's perks, of course e.g. free everything :)
Hope this helped any newbies :D
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