ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 23/02/18
I was lying in bed last night and thinking “if I could only give one sentence of advice to a 1st year, what would I say to them?” After some internalization of the situation in my head, I came up with this – get your head in the game and hit the ground running from Day 1.
Getting back into University after a 3 month hiatus can be quite difficult let alone studying!! But honestly, if you can hit the ground running immediately, don’t slack off, get into the routine, and get stuck into the work, your future you will thank you for it! I’ll bet you that if you can stay up to date with lectures; i.e. revise every lecture you’ve had within a day after it past, you’ll be ahead of 99% of all students. No joke.
You might have heard of the “competitive nature” of 1st year but seriously, try not to think of that (however, I note that’s easier said than done!) - think of first year as you trying to be the best you possible. You don’t want to be that person that regretted not maybe trying your full potential to knock that 89% (A) into a 90% (A+) grade. No amount of competition, other people trying hard, other people stressing, etc., will stop you from achieving your desired grade.
Now that the motivational, iffy, juicy stuff’s been said, I’ve gotta admit, the 1st day of lectures is pretty much just introductory lectures where the course coordinators welcome you to the course and don’t really teach much. But there ARE some content lectures - don’t let that catch you off-guard (e.g. BIOSCI 107)! But do experience University life as well - there will be a “Clubs Expo” and “AUSA Orientation Week” stuff; a club is a group of students who gather for a common interest. There are over 100+ clubs and most of them will have a presence at clubs expo distributing free-bees, adverts, and wanting you to sign up to their mailing list; membership typically costs ~$5 ~ $10 (although this depends on the club) and it’d be wise to bring cash since most clubs won’t have an EFTPOS machine! Typically, these clubs will also hold a welcome event within the first 2 weeks - so make the most of them and see what interests you! Of course, we are no exception to that rule :) Here at SAMS, we’re very inclusive and welcome you to sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/dhbifH (P.S. we don’t charge any membership fee - we welcome all past, present, and future MEDSCI students ^_^ )
Other events that are typically hosted are stuff like Toga parties, a rite of passage for first year students (it’s organised by the University, see: link) Point is - since first week is relatively chill, see if you can make the most of it… although we’re well aware we’re giving conflicting advice; go have fun vs hit the ground running; heck, por que no los dos?
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