Now that I’ve finished university, whilst studying my degree I learnt some tips along the way that helped with the overall experience. Essentials: Diary / organiser – be organised as much as possible. Use the dates in the diary to plan out work that is due and work backwards from that date, to see the time period you have to complete it and the right time to start. If it is a report and the work is split into questions/ objectives give yourself a few days/ 1 week to do each. Free time - it is important to give yourself time off! Working 5 days then taking the weekend off usually worked for me. Also, going to the library at 9am to do work made it easier for me to get work done that I set out to do that day. Once I done this, I could go back to the student accommodation I was living in, whether it be 3pm or 6pm. As long as I had that work done it didn’t matter the time I finished it at. Pens/notebook/ laptop – this is ultimately to store additional notes from lectures and tutorials that help with coursework. Ask questions – the lecturers are there to help! Ask as many questions to understand something or complete coursework. Motivation – there was a point in the semester where we were basically left to our own devices and I found it really hard to gain motivation knowing that I had so much work to do. After speaking to my personal tutor and putting it down to having an ‘off week,’ I went over all my deadlines and made each day’s workload smaller and more manageable. I started to become more eager to get work done. However, I think it would be a really good idea for universities to include a motivational programme in Semester 2, as I surely wasn’t the only student feeling this way. If you’re moving away from home… If you’re planning on moving away for university like me, I did these to make the experience as enjoyable as possible without missing home too much. Living with others – living with people can be an experience in itself, so get to know your housemates (we did this over many takeaway nights) and you may find friends for life. A cleaning rota is a good idea to maintain a nice and clean place to live for everyone. Remember to respect people’s possessions and boundaries. Student accommodation- Make your room in your new accommodation feel and look as homely as possible. This helped me to not miss home as much because I made my room as cosy as possible to come to after a long day after university. I used candles, throws for my bed, diffusers and I know some people like to use fairy lights as well. I even used the same washing detergent and fabric conditioner from my family home so that my clothes smelt the same to give me a sense of comfort. Home – at the weekends I sometimes left Aberdeen and took the journey of 3 hours to get home.I would normally only do this if I had a birthday or event back home that I wanted to go to. I would advise to do this so that you don’t feel too home sick. Friends and Family – phone/ speak to your loved ones at least once a day. I would be on the phone to my dad for hours discussing what I learnt that day, the work I had to do and when I’d be home next. Fill your time - I love time to myself, however I used to feel very lonely. The friends that you make in university are so important because you are all doing the same course and going through the same amount of work. Plan days to see them outside of university to escape the lonely feeling and enjoy your free time exploring the place you moved to (life isn’t all about education and its okay to do other activities rather than study).

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