DO’S DO’S AND DON’T’S
A GUIDE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR AT UNIVERSITY
Show up
Showing up literally and mentally are what I consider to be the first steps to succeeding in your first year at
university. Showing up to lectures, labs, and tutorials allows you the opportunity to listen to, work on, and
improve on the content being taught. To further make use of this opportunity, you must show up mentally.
This means showing up with the right mindset, ready to learn. Classes are not too early each day but
making sure you sleep at an appropriate time each night will ensure you have enough rest and are able to
focus when you show up to class. Turning off your phone and sitting next to like minded students will help
you avoid any possible distractions during class. Taking appropriate notes and listening to the important
details are a lot easier when you show up mentally with no distractions.
Study
Don’t forget to study. Showing up to lectures, labs and tutorials alone is not enough. You must dedicate
specific time to studying and revising the things that you’ve been taught. Good time management,
discipline and a good studying environment is essential for effective studying. You will need to find the
techniques best suitable for you when studying and then plan a proper study schedule so that you can
remain accountable each day. I have personally found it useful having two books for each subject so that I
write my notes from the lectures in one book and then transfer those notes in my own words into the
other book when I’m studying. That’s what I’ve found personally works best for me in helping me to
understand and remember concepts. Studying will increase your confidence, competence and self esteem
which will all contribute to a successful first year.
Have fun
Each semester is made up of 12 teaching weeks. So whether you like it or not, A LOT of your time is going
to be spent at university in your first year. Therefore it is important that you enjoy yourself for your
personal wellbeing. Making friends at university may be daunting for some, but it is rewarding for all so I
would definitely recommend making some good friends who can keep you smiling and that you can have a
good laugh with. It is important to know that although university will take up a lot of your time, it
shouldn’t take up all your time and you don’t need to sacrifice ALL the things that make you happy. So I
would suggest finding a way to continue doing things that make you happy as it will keep you from feeling
drained by the pressures of university and ensure that you remain fresh throughout.
Work hard
It has been said that you can’t become successful without hard work and university is no exception. You
can’t have a successful first year without working hard. However you can’t live a fully balanced lifestyle if
you’re spending countless hours revising notes, going over lectures or researching etc. So just as important
as it is to work hard, you must work smart. Working hard requires discipline, doing what needs to be done
even when you don’t want to. It might mean missing that movie date you were looking forward to, just to
study for Wednesday’s test. It might mean spending a few extra hours at university trying fully grasp a
certain concept in biology that you’re struggling to understand. Whatever the case might be, it must be
done. Working hard and ticking the boxes of what must be done will give you the confidence you need
when approaching tests and exams in your first year.
Set goals
Setting short term and long term goals is essential for a successful first year. It will give you a long term
vision and short term motivation to do the little things like studying and showing up to class. Make sure
that when you set your goals you put them in a place where you will see them often. This will keep you
accountable and will affect your everyday actions. An example goal for me is that I want to finish the
semester with an A+ in Math. I can then set other simple goals like 100% attendance (excluding emergency
situations) which will keep me on track for this example goal of mine. Make sure that you have already set
some goals heading into your first year as they will give you a direction of something to work towards. You
can also add goals throughout the year.
DON’T’S
Don’t forget your why
The pressures that come with completing assignments on time, studying for tests and achieving good
enough grades in first year will test your limits. It may have you questioning whether this is something you
really want to do. This is when knowing why you’re doing this in the first place is important. Knowing your
why will keep you going through these hard times and may be the difference between achieving your goals
or wondering ‘what if.’ Your why is your reason for choosing to study. What’s the purpose of choosing to
study? Where do you want to end up and why do you want to end up there? I personally want to be a
doctor so first year for me would hopefully be Biomedical Science. I want to be a doctor to help people and
make a good salary to support my family. Find out your why and don’t forget it.
Don’t procrastinate
You will cover a lot of content in your first year and if you’re not careful you will find yourself doing a lot of
last minute study or assignment completions. This is the worst thing you can do for yourself as it not only
proves as an ineffective way for remembering things for tests but it could also mean you don’t get to put
your best work forward if you’re having to rush an assignment. This can be addressed by carefully planning
your time, dedicating specific time for studying and assignments. Avoiding procrastination will prevent
unnecessarily feelings of stress which will then contribute to a better emotional approach to tests/exams
and assignments. This is important because in order for your best results for your first year you must be in
the best possible head space.
Don’t give up
University can either make or break you. It is important when beginning first year to realise things are not
going to be easy and there will definitely be hard times. But hold on to your why and don’t give up. It is
important to believe in yourself and your abilities and believe that you can achieve your dreams. The
reality of things is that you won’t know everything you need to, but you have everything you need to do
well. You’ve got access to all lectures, labs and tutorials, you’ve got access to the lecturers for any
questions you may have, and you’ve also got other students who you can ask for help. Picture finishing the
year successfully and use that to drive you when times get hard. Don’t give up, use your resources and you
will go along way into having a successful first year.
Don’t waste time on social media
Liking photos, posting photos, reading comments, and scrolling through videos are all things that you may
do on social media on a day to day basis. It is perfectly normal, especially in today’s society. However, if
you don’t control the hours you spend on it each week, time will fly by and you’ll miss out on doing the
important necessary things to do with university. I would recommend setting a time limit for social media
use daily. If further action was required I'd suggest eliminating notifications so you don’t feel the need to
check your phone when it lights up. Just as social media can act to uplift, it can also cause someone to feel
depressed so monitoring the time spent on social media is important for being in the right head space in
your first year and allowing for enough time for university requirements.
Don’t make excuses
Take responsibility for your learning. If you know you have an upcoming test in a couple weeks, find out
what you need to know, plan what you need to do, and then do it. Don’t make excuses. Your first year will
include many assignments and tests so make sure you do the mahi to get the treats. As long as you're
exercising, eating healthy, sleeping well and being organised you shouldn’t have any other excuse for not
being able to study or attend lectures. Excuses prevent growth and learning. If a test doesn’t go well, take
responsibility and identify what needs to be done so that it doesn’t happen again. The only acceptable
excuse in first year should be the excuse to do more. Do more study, do more reading, and do more
learning. This will ensure a successful first year.