Top Ten Tips

Students in the Economics department final year have provided ten useful tips for new students starting out in year 2011-2012.

1. Buy a diary/planner - it'll be a lifesaver for coursework deadlines
2. Don't immediately go and buy brand new textbooks - look for second hand textbooks/buy with friends/borrow from the library
3. Do your tutorials as soon after the lecture as you can - the knowledge will still be fresh and it won't seem such a chore if you don't have to try and remember what the lecturer explained the previous week
4. Don't leave coursework to the night before - lecturers will say it can't be done well if you leave it so late and you may think 'challenge accepted' but you're much more likely to get a good grade if you've done it in advance with a few days spare to read over/think about it - go out and enjoy yourself the night before coursework is due, knowing that you've already done it and handed it in early!
5. Make plenty of notes in lectures and if you get an exam hint, make it clear on your notes why you are highlighting it
6. Keep up to date with readings throughout the semester - it will make your exam revision much easier
7. If you get revision questions/practice tests/past papers, do them all before your exams! And re-do tutorials, making sure you actually understand how to do something rather than just memorise what to do
8. Start going to careers/skills/company info sessions - get a feel for the sort of skills companies will be looking for you to acquire over your university life. If you start doing this from 1st year, you'll be more aware of opportunities in 3rd and 4th year so should be ahead of the game and will have one less thing to stress about!
9. Make sure you know where your classes are before you need to i.e. if it's in EC1.01, go for a wander there sometime before you actually have a class there - can be bit of a trek and maze when you have no idea how to get there quickly!
10. Join a sports club or society - it's a perfect way to meet loads of new people especially if you're not staying in halls and it'll look great on your CV. It's also a good way to meet people throughout the university, not just those on your course or in your year. Don't try and take on too many different things though. And remember that Wednesdays are sports days