Preparing For Your Second Year At University

Preparing For Your Second Year At University

By Simon Rogers

Every year at university brings different demands and workloads. But the move from 1st to 2nd year undergraduate is probably the one that is usually the biggest step to make for various reasons.

First year modules, in being the lowest level courses you will study, can often have an emphasis on preparation for the next 2-3 years. Here is what you should have taken note of.

Preparing For Your Second Year At University

Time Keeping

Unless juggling one or two jobs, university students will often have a lot of time on their hands. This doesn’t always mean that they will make all their lectures or keep to essay deadlines. Time keeping, then, is not just about managing in situations where time is restricted, but also when you might have plenty of it.

If you have attended a time-keeping seminar, then it is more than likely that you would have been advised to prioritize in order to make the most of your time. Making a list of your upmost priorities will probably mean you are less likely to idly walk into the student bar when you know there is something that you need to be doing.

Prioritizing doesn’t mean sorting things by order of when they need completing but working out what is most important and how long each task is liable to take. In essence, it is about taking a longer term view as to what you should be doing so as to make sure you have peace of mind, with the knowledge that you are completing the most relevant and timely task. You are very likely to find that you will need to start utilizing this skill in year 2.

Using the Library

Tutors might be more willing to hand out course material and give you assistance in finding at least the required readings. You’ll find that this assistance is less readily available as your course goes on. So visits to the library are likely to be in order. You might also find that your new accommodation, liable to be a flat share, is a better study place than a dorm room, with all the parties and other social activities to be hosted at your residence.

Studying in the library and using their referencing system can help you in the long run. In addition, there are many essay writing service websites, where you can find useful reading materials and expert assistance.

Smarter Study Techniques

Being prepared is all important. As is not forgetting the work you have done in your first year now that you have started new courses. It might be a brilliant idea, while going through your first year’s notes, to start looking at ways in which they can be used in your new modules.

Your course choices may seem at total different ends of the spectrum in terms of subject matter, but you are liable to find some overlaps. This is a good way to prompt new ideas as well as refresh your memory on what you have already learnt. Brainstorming and mind-mapping in anticipation of your new courses aims and objectives is excellent preparation, one which will bear fruit later on in the academic year.

Simon Rogers is a research assistant and freelance blogger in the field of education. He is based in London and works as an online and classroom tutor for several educational institutions. He blogs on www.essayorders.co.uk