My 3 years of my undergraduate degree are over, and I couldn't be happier that I graduated with First Class Honours. The past 3 years have been an absolute whirlwind of an adventure; I've met some of the most amazing people and some things that I never thought that I would ever do. But I have to say, my final year has been my favourite year of university. First year was just a blur of going out and second year was just a nightmare, so full of drama, but my third year did where I finally felt in control of my life, and in terms of my degree; I got to look specifically at my own interests and put my time into researching what I wanted instead of set topics that I was given in previous years.
Nobody's university experience will ever be the same as another person's, so some of the information in this post may not apply to you. But based off my experience of university, here are my tips on how to survive your final year:
1. Get Organised. I can't stress this enough, buy a diary! Make sure you are aware of all your deadlines, colour code each module and the work you need to do for it. Get separate notebooks for each module. Master the art of scheduling. If you are super organised in your final year and manage your time well, they your final year will be a breeze. Try not to dwell on how much work you have; set goals/targets for each day and make daily lists of things you want done so you can stay on top of your work. If you can get a small job done in the space of 5 minutes, do it ASAP so the thought isn't lingering with you for the rest of the day. Being organised is key to a stress-free final year!
2. Stay Busy. I'm the type of person who always likes to be busy, or have something planned for the day. If not then I will just sloth around in my PJs all day when I know I have stuff to do. By staying busy, you give yourself a time frame of when you need to get other stuff done, therefore being more productive! I did this by getting involved in the Students Union and taking up volunteer leadership roles, this involved meetings and practically living in the SU. But in between meetings I spent my time in the library actually getting work done. Other things you can do to stay busy is go to the gym, meeting a friend for coffee, getting involved in a society. This might not make sense to some people as you need to focus on your final year, but the other plans are an escapism from uni work so you can focus on something else; then you can really focus in on the time you have given yourself to get the work done! My logic does make sense, trust me!
3. Be happy in your living situation. This one is so important. After a long day, the last thing you want to do is go back to a student house where you will be more stressed. Make sure your room is a sanctuary for you to relax and escape from all your worries, housemates and any noise. I had the pleasure of spending my final year living in a professional block of flats, so there was no other student making noise late at night and I only lived with one other person so noise was minimal, which was ideal. Make sure you keep on top of any bills, and if you are having any trouble with your property report it to your landlord who should be on hand to sort it out.
4. Make time to be social. In your final year you will lose touch with a lot of people you spent time with in your previous years. What is a couple of hours out of your day to arrange a catch-up over coffee? It can really do you the world of good to rekindle your friendships in your final year. Also don't feel like you need to say 'no' to a night out because you have a lot of work to do. Even if you show your face for 2 hours at pre-drinks and not head out; dress so you are wearing inappropriate clothing to get into the club! Or if you do go out, don't go too hard; don't take your bank card and limit yourself to a £20 note. You want to enjoy your final year and you will regret not being more social.
5. Indulge. Yes, it is still OK to have a chocolate bar if you want it. And that lippy you've been eyeing up, just buy it! I honestly recommend indulging in treats every once in a while to keep your motivation up. Fair enough you're trying to save money and stay healthy but if it's a Friday afternoon and you need that pick-me-up for working hard all week. Just go and treat yourself! You've learnt it! Begin to set yourself milestones; I recently saw a meme that had a different chocolate bar in between chapters of a text book - do this!
6. Stay Healthy. Leading from my last tip, yes it is OK to indulge once in a while but this year is so important that you want to feel your best as well. Make sure you're eating healthy and drinking plenty of water throughout the day, the last thing you want is to feel fatigued when it comes to your assessment period. I also recommend taking multi vitamins every day to keep your energy levels up throughout third year of uni. If you have the time try and get some exercise in, from a 20 minute home workout on YouTube to using the local swimming pool; keep yourself active.
7. Recharge Your Batteries. This will be one of the nose exhausting years of your life. Make the most of your weekends that you have available to catch up on your favourite TV shows. If you are working, try and get a weekend off work so you can head home to see your family and friends to have a catch up. Sometimes when I thought the world was against me I just went back home for a night to catch up with my family, get a home cooked meal and to just escape from all the pressures of uni. It can really do you wonders and you come back to uni ready to boss the rest of the year.
8. Choose a good group. This might not apply to some people, but if your degree requires you to do group work in your final year then this is so important! Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into when you choose your group, have you worked with them before? Do you trust them? Do they have a good work ethic? You don't want to be stuck in a horrible group to work with all year, you need to try and make this the smoothest year you can without the stresses of knowing that someone may not do some work or show up in time. And if you feel worried about this then follow my next bit of advice...
9. Speak to your lectures. They are there for you to talk to, if you're lecturers are any good then they will want you to go and pester them. In my final year, I got very little contact time with my tutors in therms of teaching, if you wanted support then you had to go and speak to them. Don't be afraid to speak to them, they only want the best for you and want you to do well. My lecturers this year have been my saving grace, I've confided in them, cried on their shoulders and everything! They have seen and heard it all before and they will listen to you. And, trust me, they will fix it; if not, make you feel so much better.
10. Remember to enjoy it! My final year was one of the hardest years of your life, but it was also probably my favourite year at uni. I found my friends, met so many new people in this year and found my feet with what I want to do after I graduate. So just remember to embrace all the good things about your final year, continue to make some memories and make the most of your free time exploring the city you are in. There is people to talk to if you are worried about uni who can help you with your time management, money or any other concerns. But make sure you have the best time in your final year, then it will be great!
What are your university survival tips? Let me know in the comments or Tweet me @Elisa_A__
Elisa :-) x
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