8 Top tips for new students

1: Get involved in societies!

I was part of the Disney society in my first year and became their treasurer for the second year and final year. It was such aIn my first year, I was a member of the Disney society and served as their treasurer in my second and third years. The experience was amazing because not only did I get to watch amazing films with awesome people, but I also learned vital accounting and leadership skills while organising trips and finances for the society. 

Due to this experience, I had the confidence to apply for a graduate position where I would be managing accounts for clients in the public sector. My best friend and I met through this society, and we are still friends to this day. So, don’t be afraid to join the society on your own, you might meet more friends that way.

2: Save money on your food bill

Save a little, spend a little!

Cook a large batch of food on the weekends or on your days off. You will be surprised how much you can save!

You can easily store it in the fridge or put in in the freezer to enjoy it later.

3: Find a fun job at University

Find something that will work around your lectures and not put too much strain on you.

Working over 20 hours could potentially affect your grades so working as a student ambassador or student mentor is a really well-paid job and the hours are very flexible, so you can choose to do as many or as little hours as you wish.

4: Volunteer at least once!

Volunteering as part of the six-week ‘Conservation on Planet Earth’ programme enabled me to develop my confidence as I spoke to a larger audience and I learned how to adapt to teach children.

You will also meet amazing people along the way!

5: Do not take your life too seriously

These three to four years have the potential to be the best years of your life so make the most of it. You don’t need to have Make the most of these three to four years as they have the potential to be the best of your life. It’s not necessary to have a large group of friends and go out drinking constantly. Watching a movie with my best friend and laughing and joking with her are some of my fondest memories.

6: Find your revision routine

Make sure you revise to your exams, but don’t do it too much!

Integrate it into your daily/weekly routine and spread your revision over a couple of weeks not a couple of days. I find colour coding and creating revision cards really effective for my brain to remember information, but you need to find out what is best and what works for you and stick it. Everyone revise differently.

7: Try to be as organised as you can

Get a planner that you can write in your assignment deadlines. Time management and organisation can be difficult during university. There will be too much going on with your life that it will be difficult to stay focused at all times. Using planner can help you with those issues and allow you to keep track of your progress towards any goal. Get yourself a planner that has goal tracking pages in addition to academic pages. We recommend affordable Academic Planner by Boxclever Press or Student Planner by K.McMillan but Amazon also has a great range of planners that may suit your needs.

Planning also reduce stress and ineffective study habits.

Try to finish your assignments at least a week or so before the deadline. With this approach in ming, you will give yourself enough time to put it away and come back to it with a fresh mind to edit any silly mistakes you might have made along the way.

Do you have any other tips that you think would be useful sharing with NTU students on our blog? If so, let us know! Helping us you help the community. Get involved in blogging with us!