School has officially started, and I'm not going to lie; I am really really excited. I know a lot of people are probably groaning at the thought of sitting in a classroom all day and doing piles of homework. But I love learning and can't wait for this school year to really get going.
I am proud to say that I survived my first year of University, that first year was most definitely the hardest; but I learned so much along the way. During my first year I found myself, like many of my peers struggling to get through; but for different reasons. I was struggling because University is pretty freaking hard, others were struggling because they kept making the same mistakes.
If you catch yourself making these mistakes, take a step back and for the love of god just stop.
Mistake #1.) SKIPPING CLASS
I don't typically see this start to happen until about week 3 of classes, slowly but surely you will find your classes getting emptier and emptier. If you are still managing to get your butt to class then good for you! If not, get your booty into class!
Studies have shown that individuals who attend lectures do better overall in the class. Of course, there are some people that earn better on their own, but this isn't the case for everyone. Being tired and not wanting to go to your morning lecture isn't an excuse. Even if your promise yourself you'll do the work at home; you probably won't. So, save yourself the hassle and just go to class.
Mistake #2.) NOT ASKING FOR HELP
As I mentioned up above, University is hard struggling in silence won't make it easier. Before you know it, you'll have a pile of unanswered questions and concepts you don't understand and it will be exam week. I can understand that talking to your prof is intimidating, I too found it scary the first couple time. Ultimately your profs do want to see you succeed, but they won't hold your hand.
It is up to you to take the initiative and ask for help, sure it would be convenient if the profs could read your mind and answer your questions. But they can't. So it is up to you to ask for help when necessary. Every school is different when it comes to their academic resources, so just ask.
Mistake #3.) PROCRASTINATING
This tactic may have worked for you in high school, but I am here to let you know that this will not fly in University. When you get your assigned reading and midterm dates take advantage of this. If you see you have an assignment due at the end of the month get to work on it now.
The later in the semester you wait to start your work the more overwhelmed you are going to feel. Odds are that if you are cramming five assignments into one work session you won't be handing in your best work. This is obviously not something you want, so take the initiative and do the work ahead of time.
Mistake #4.) NOT TAKING PROPER NOTES
I can't tell you the amount of people I see in lectures not taking notes, or if they do their notes suck. When in the lecture only write down the important stuff, odds are the professor will be flying through the material so you won't have time to write everything down.
Everyone has a different opinion when it comes to typing or hand-writing notes so do what is best for you. While there have been studies that prove hand-writing notes will help you to retain them, this might not work for everyone. I will always choose to type my nots out rather than writing them, however when I get home for the day I will immediately transfer them to a notebook. This works for me and my schedule but of course do what is going to work for you.
Mistake #5.) GETTING DISTRACTED DURNG LECTURES
I'm sure everyone knows at least one person that does nothing during a lecture. They sit there on their phone or laptop playing games or scrolling through social media. Maybe you're the person that sits in the lecture on their phone or gets distracted by something on their laptop. Sure, during the first week when the professor reads the syllabus off the board this is fine. But once you have to start taking notes this just wont work.
Not only are you distrusting everyone around you but you're also greatly affecting your education. You might think that you are taking in all the information but I can safely say that there is at least some information that you are missing.
Mistake #6.) NOT PRIORITIZING YOUR TIME PROPERLY
University is a really busy time for everyone, between having a million assignments due there is also the social aspect. I am all for having a social life in Uni, it is so import and a huge part of the experience. But there comes a point when you may be socializing a tad too much.
If you are continuously behind in your work and too busy going out when you know there are things to be done, then there may be an issue. If you can't take time out of your day for your academic obligations, your grades are going to suffer. Nobody wants that, so take a step back and revaluate where you are with your priorities.
Mistake #7.) GET ORGANIZED
Everyone's definition of organized is different, I am a huge fan of everything being colour coded and perfect. For my boyfriend however, as long as things are in a tidy pile its organized. Now I am not saying you have to colour code everything in your life and plan everything down the second. But taking time out of your day to look at when things are too will help you in the long run.
At the beginning of the school year when the professors hand out the syllabus make a list of all your due dates. Or if you have a planner or calendar of some sort, add these items to the day they are due. Having all your due dates in a compact list or on a calendar will make it pretty hard to miss a due date.
If you can avoid making these common mistakes in your years at university you shouldn't find yourself struggling (too much). University is hard, don't make it any harder due to carelessness. If you are however finding yourself making these mistakes stop! I'm sure it can be hard to find the motivation to go to an 8am lecture, but do the best you can.
At the end of the day it's your money (or your parents) being spent on this education, don't let that go to waste. On a happy note I hope you're having a wonderful week and enjoying the new school year!
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