Starting or returning to college - top tips!

After a summer filled with holidays and exam results term has now started!  Are you feeling rather unprepared for what’s coming next?  This blog will look at some top tips for coping with starting or coming back to a course and new university college.

Top tips

Be prepared!  You will hopefully know what is expected of you.  But there may be some surprises

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Be flexible.  Sometimes your expectations of what is going to happen may not match reality.  This can be for any number of reasons, sometimes colleges and unis have to tweak what they are offering, or your assumptions might be slightly out of kilter.  If you have concerns about things, do ask someone -your institutuion will prefer to address your queries than you stress about it!  And of course, the reality might be actually better than your expectations.

Plan! There will be a lot to take in during the first few weeks, friends to make or catch up with, timetables to get used to, names of students and lecturers to try and remember.  And this doesn’t just for 1^st years either!  Although most 2^nd and 3^rd years should remember where their classrooms are.  So, its worth spending a few minutes at the start/end of each day reflecting on what’s happened that day, or what might happen the next day, and jotting any thoughts or notes down.  This way you can make a note of anything you are not sure about to find out about – and reduce any anxieties the uncertainty might cause.  In a few weeks, it will be worth taking a longer term view on this forward planning to see what will be expected of you for assignments/reading etc.



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Start planning your exit!  This isn’t about ensuring you are not the last to leave the party.  But about what’s going to happen after your course has finished.  This might sound strange at the start of your course, or only in the early few weeks of year 2/3.  But the time will pass very quickly, and employers are increasingly engaging with students far earlier in their studies than a few years ago.  Want that internship or volunteering opportunity this summer?  Or that graduate scheme?  Now’s the time to start planning it.

Using social media – good, bad, ugly?  There used to be a divide between the online world and real life, but not anymore, as you know.  Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the situation, employers will and do look at your social media profile, photos, likes, comments and activities at some point during the recruitment process.  And not just for jobs like accountancy, MI5, teaching or Defence against the Dark Arts lecturers.  People have been turned down for science labs interviews for ‘liking’ an anti animal testing comment when they were a lot younger.  Seriously!  So, before doing some applications, do some ‘tidying’ up of your social media presence.  Social media can be a very useful way of engaging with employers too.  If you want to talk about how to do this, contact the careers department.

Enjoy it! One of the most important things to do on your course!!  Learning should be enjoyable and interesting.