# Tips and tricks for university?



## Average_Lurker (Aug 20, 2022)

So I'm starting my university studies a little over a week from now and it's admittedly got me a bit stressed.
Are there any former university students here? Got any overall tips and tricks for duration of the studies that helped you back in the day?

EDIT:
My major is computer science (Totally didn't forget to put this in OP 'til now )


----------



## Parabellum3 (Aug 20, 2022)

Always look up the professor’s ratings before you enroll into a class, because you can fail a class from their shitty teachings no matter how hard you try.

Sign up for Chegg.com, it will save your ass a lot.

Don’t go to any of those college parties where people usually end up hungover or high.


----------



## ConorHyena (Aug 20, 2022)

Average_Lurker said:


> So I'm starting my university studies a little over a week from now and it's admittedly got me a bit stressed.
> Are there any former university students here? Got any overall tips and tricks for duration of the studies that helped you back in the day?


make friends and form/join study groups. University is a collaborative effort, you will not get through it without your peers.


----------



## Smityyyy (Aug 20, 2022)

*TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL YOUR RESOURCES*

- Use your counselor, they’re there to help you.
- Take advantage of professor office hours.
- Sign up for career and networking events. They’ll help you post-graduation.
- Start looking for internships ASAP.
- Develop good relationships with your professors as doing so will teach valuable lessons, help with networking, and potentially open up the doors for university internship/aide work.
- Only take on as many credits as you can handle and still _maintain a quality GPA _with.
- Go to parties. Sorry, I’m going to disagree with another poster in this thread. You’re young and these are the only years you’re going to have to be wild and experience life. Just be responsible, that’s all. I partied all the time with no regrets or harm to my academic performance. Learn to balance.
- STUDY BEYOND WHAT IS EVEN NECESSARY.
- Work on time management skills.
- Ask for help from peers, advisors, and professors.
- Do your research on professors/housing/courses!
- PLEASE don’t declare as a freshman… take a year or two to decide.
- Join a club and/or extracurricular.
- Find a local hobby/community.
- Look for “shadowing” events so you can get to see your future career and what that is like!
- Go to events as often as you can! You’ll meet people, professionals, peers, and professors. Plus, they’re fun.
- Don’t stress. You’ll be fine. You don’t have to know everything right away. You’ll have lots of time and support to explore and learn what’s right for you. And any mistakes made, can ALWAYS be undone. You will make mistakes and that’s ok — better to focus on resilience than to stress constantly. 

HAVE FUN!!! Be safe, be smart, but have a good time. You will make some of the best memories in college. Use up every opportunity to the fullest. As long as you’re diligent, you’ll do just fine.


----------



## Average_Lurker (Aug 20, 2022)

Thanks for advice everyone!


----------



## Fallowfox (Aug 21, 2022)

ConorHyena 's advice is very useful. 
Studying in groups can help motivate you, and you will discover gaps in each others' knowledge in the process. 
Smityyy is also correct that one of the most significant skills you will learn at University is time management, and that attaining the best grades requires proof that you have read beyond your course content. 

If you are studying a scientific course, then it is a good idea to check routinely for new publications in your field, and practice reading and discussing them with your friends, so that you can develop a deeper understanding of the content and more incisive critical thinking skills.


----------



## -Sliqq- (Aug 21, 2022)

Get good at skimming through text and taking notes. Maybe expand on some thoughts so you have material when you have to write essays. Don't try to study everything at once, just bits and pieces at a time with a big review before a quiz or exam. Also, the library is disgustingly OP: almost every resource you'll need for a research paper is in there. The librarian is a god amongst men.

Stay consistent and keep track of the assignments that you need to get done using a checklist or Kanban board. The syllabus often has important due dates and you can enter-in and can start them before they're even assigned. If you (unfortunately) have to do an all-nighter, eat small snacks throughout the night. Large amounts of caffeine will make you eventually crash with some really bad microsleeping. You won't be able to focus on much of anything after that.

Avoid freaking out too much about crunch-time/backlogs at the end of the semester. Everybody is pretty much going through it. Just schedule what you have to get done and tick them off one at a time. Before you start a lengthy assignment make an outline of what you want to do before you start. Same thing for the subtasks.

If you ever find yourself needing to 'cool down' absolutely do it. Go out and enjoy yourself. I was a very anxious guy so I usually just went to dorm/campus activities and not club meets. The E-Sports club (wasn't a team yet) hosted a drunk goggles Mario Kart tournament once. I went on a whim and won. It's the greatest achievement in my college career. I can't comment on Greek life or partying, though.

Consider talking to a counselor if you feel depressed. Professors generally want to help you when you're having mental health issues. Your diet and physical health also matters _a lot. _There's no phys ed class anymore so you'll have to find time to exercise on your own. Otherwise, you might just end up feeling like shit halfway through the semester. Could've just been the caffeine.

... and for the love of god please don't cause kitchen fires in the common room. Especially at 1 AM.


----------



## Miles Marsalis (Aug 22, 2022)

Everybody covered most of the good advice already, but I'd say besides forming a study group with peers who also have the same major, it might an idea to room with people who have the same or a related major to yours. You might have to maneuver to see who you can wrangle into rooming with you, but it pays off. You'll probably have similar workloads and coursework, plus you have common interest. I got through my majors and graduated partly thanks to the study group I formed with my roommates.

Another thing to do is see what internships you can during the summer through the university; a lot of employers look for graduates with internship experience when hiring, so getting a few under your belt is wise depending on your field of study.


----------



## Miles Marsalis (Aug 22, 2022)

Also, good luck.


----------



## tuxedo_fish (Aug 29, 2022)

Don't lose sight of why you're being taught things. Even things that seem irrelevant or useless, in the moment. There's a reason that info was placed into the curriculum, even if you can't see it as a Freshman. You will hit a wall, at some point, and start to treat classes and subject matter like a chore. Once that happens, you will retain very little of the info beyond the immediate semester. Since college/university is a cumulative effort, this _will_ bite you in the ass, later. So, when you start to feel yourself slipping into that sort of mindset, take a break, go do something fun or relaxing, and re-center.

Relatedly, _make time for yourself_. Your goal at university is to learn, and you cannot do that if you're half-dead from sleep deprivation or depression. Make a point to schedule You Time regularly, and never feel guilt or shame for saying "I need a break." A healthy you is crucial for a well-educated you.

Finally, know that it's okay to take a fun class, just for shits and giggles, here or there. For most of us, we only get one go at college, so why not enjoy it? Take a pottery class, join the rodeo club, learn to fence. Do something dumb, just for you.


----------



## Zehlua (Sep 5, 2022)

Leave as soon as possible.


----------



## Kinguyakki (Sep 6, 2022)

If you can, talk to your professor early in the semester, especially if it's a course that is heavily related to your major.   Some profs love it when a student actually speaks to them and shows interest in the topic. . .some profs act like they don't want a thing to do with their students.  
Stay active.  Get involved in something.  Most universities are going to have different clubs and activities, a wide range of them, likely something that fits your interests.  Try something new, too.  Have fun with it.  Being there to "learn" doesn't mean you can't learn to do some new, fun things also.  It doesn't all have to be academic book smarts.  That, and it's a great way to meet other people, especially those with different majors.  It is also a way to find out about some of the professors - which classes are great, which professors to avoid if possible, etc.
As with anything, you don't have to be friends with everyone.  You're likely to meet some really awesome people, and you may also meet some complete trash humans.  Hopefully you won't get stuck with trash for a roommate, but it happens.


----------



## Fallowfox (Sep 15, 2022)

I have provided tuition and project mentoring to undergraduate students if anybody has questions about what they should expect from either side of that relationship.


----------



## greygamora (Sep 21, 2022)

Average_Lurker said:


> So I'm starting my university studies a little over a week from now and it's admittedly got me a bit stressed.
> Are there any former university students here? Got any overall tips and tricks for duration of the studies that helped you back in the day?


I'm in the same boat as you  not prepared in the slightest.


----------



## Connor J. Coyote (Sep 23, 2022)

@Average_Lurker You didn't say what your major was, so if you want to share that (if you're still reading this) then feel free.... as different majors can offer up different experiences based on the types of work one is doing.

If you're an English major versus a Chemical Engineer major for example, students in those different programs can have different work responsibilities; which can alter the advice given based on what to expect.

It's up to you though if you want to provide it.


----------



## Average_Lurker (Sep 23, 2022)

Connor J. Coyote said:


> @Average_Lurker You didn't say what your major was, so if you want to share that (if you're still reading this) then feel free.... as different majors can offer up different experiences based on the types of work one is doing.
> 
> If you're an English major versus a Chemical Engineer major for example, students in those different programs can have different work responsibilities; which can alter the advice given based on what to expect.
> 
> It's up to you though if you want to provide it.


Computer science.


----------



## Miles Marsalis (Sep 24, 2022)

Average_Lurker said:


> Computer science.


I'd say take initiative and work on coding on your spare time when you're not studying. You'll want to experiment with coding and try to develop your own creative approaches. Many, if not most, jobs where you'll be using CS are extremely intensive and demanding, so employers look for hires who can code casually and creatively under hard deadlines. Also, if you are planning on working for employers in the private sectors as opposed to going into academia, intern to get a feel for what it may be like.

Also, there are a few of us who majored in this in university here, so pick our brains.


----------



## Khafra (Sep 25, 2022)

Miles Marsalis said:


> I'd say take initiative and work on coding on your spare time when you're not studying. You'll want to experiment with coding and try to develop your own creative approaches. Many, if not most, jobs where you'll be using CS are extremely intensive and demanding, so employers look for hires who can code casually and creatively under hard deadlines. Also, if you are planning on working for employers in the private sectors as opposed to going into academia, intern to get a feel for what it may be like.
> 
> Also, there are a few of us who majored in this in university here, so pick our brains.


I can vouch for that, very little of what I've learned at university was useful to me at work. I went off the things I learned myself (wasn't much because I'm lazy, so you can probably do better) and two or three classes over the entire course. Early internships also helped me get a feel for the job market and expectations in my area.


----------



## Khafra (Sep 25, 2022)

Also, familiarise yourself with Google, your new best friend. Google everything that's unclear to you, you'll keep doing it well into your career. Stackoverflow is there for whenever you need a technical concept explained to you, and if you have trouble starting on an advanced project, chances are there are examples put up on GitHub.


----------



## Inferndragon (Sep 25, 2022)

If you live in the UK. The first year is more about messing around and getting to know people. 
Live at home if you can. University dorms are more expensive than needed.

However, that time you have free. Make sure you use it to your advantage.
Making prototypes (if you are doing games design or something like that). 

Befriend the Tutors that will allow you to get information sooner than later too.


----------



## Minerva_Minx (Sep 25, 2022)

Sex?  Drinks?  University was great for significant amounts of stress and working while studying was worse.  Take time here and there for yourself.

IT is vast and daunting.  Do NOT make the mistake that you are learning what to do.  You are learning techniques and procedures with a focus on manuals.  There is a world of difference between book smart and operations and techniques. I seea lot of degreed people who cannot seea problem with two hands and a flashlight, while someone who went to a trade school outperforms.

Practice, practice, practice until you can't fail, not until you get it right.


----------



## Connor J. Coyote (Sep 30, 2022)

Well, I'll just say this (to those out there that it may help): in that when I was an Undergrad - the one thing I always enjoyed (honestly) that got me through some of the rough patches was the times off that we got...... things like long weekends, Spring Break, summer vacations, parties at people's houses, that sort of stuff.

Because I was always so busy during the semester that I rarely had much time to do anything else but work (both in school and at my regular job).... and of course take care of my home life.... with things like laundry, housekeeping, groceries, family needs, etcetera.

And so my advice to anyone out there is to find time off when you can - and enjoy that time when you get it, because it's a good way to re-charge one's batteries.

If someone makes it high enough, Graduate School can be "more of the same" in many ways; but different in some other ways also, because it's a lot more work.... but can be done at a much slower pace, which can make the course loads more manageable.

The drawback with going slower though at the Graduate level - is that it can take a bit longer to graduate for many; and if one is taking out student loans (like almost everyone I know was) in order to get that graduate degree - then borrowing too much and potentially going deeper into student loan debt means that things can't go too slowly either, for financial reasons.

So the times off that you may get can be a life line sometimes. (That doesn't mean to shirk one's responsibilites in the classroom though), as students like that often times find out that they don't last very long. So, take things seriously in the classroom...... (you're only hurting yourself if you don't) and then let your hair down when you're not in there and have time for yourself.

(I have three university degrees for the record) so I think I know what I'm talking about.


----------

