Advice for term 1

1. Be not afraid

Starting university can be daunting for some. Many are not used to the challenges of university physics/maths or being away from home. This is normal. Try not to worry if you don’t understand something straight away or can’t solve a problem from your problem sheet. Feel free to ask your lecturers questions, as they are there to help you. If you embrace the challenges (academic or not) and persevere, things will likely work out.

2. Show up

At some point, you might be tempted to skip a lecture. Try not to. There are some valid reasons for missing lectures; however, not being bothered to go is usually not one of them. It’s easy to think that you’ll just catch up later. While this works out theoretically, it does not work out experimentally. But remember, if you do end up missing some lectures, it is not the end of the world. Just try your best to catch up and don’t worry too much about understanding everything to progress onto the next lectures. You will be surprised at how much you pick up even when you feel like you don’t understand what is going on.

3. Work with others

In year 1, you will have weekly problem sheets. Working with others when completing these is allowed. This does not mean copying or letting someone copy your work. It is often a good idea to have a go at the sheet alone and then compare your answers with your peers afterwards. This way you are forced to think about the content you are learning, and also explain your reasoning to your peers, both of which are important. If you are unsure about who to work with, speaking with the people in your problems classes is a good start.

4. Don’t take it too seriously

While it is important to focus on your degree, it is more important to look after yourself. Year 1 is only worth 10%, so settling in and making new friends, up to an extent, is the main purpose of your first year. Therefore, in contrast to what has been said above, missing a lecture to go to the pub with friends or trying out a society event you’re interested in is fine. It is simply a matter of finding the right work-life balance for yourself.