As students receive their A-Level results and universities look forward to welcoming both new and old students in September, three Liverpool students share the things they wish they'd known before starting their journeys.
Rachel Cowan - BA Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University
1. Independent Study
“One thing that was definitely downplayed was the amount of independent study time you’ll get. It is a noticeable jump from A-Levels, and especially GCSE’s as it is so independent. However, if you use the time wisely, it is massively helpful and can make all the difference when you dedicate even just a couple of hours to uni work.”
2. Lecturers are there to help
“Use your professors! Even though university does consist of a lot of independent study, the lecturers are there to help. They specialise in the course so there is no better person to go to when you need assistance.”
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3. The social possibilities are endless
“You don’t have to be a massive party animal to experience the social side of uni as there are so many societies and clubs you can join where you’ll meet so many new people.”
4. Loneliness
“There will be times when you feel quite lonely. This is more something that may happen in the first year, but it is normal and everyone is in the same boat. Naturally, it is a shock to the system to move away from home, live with strangers, and start a course at a place you have never studied before. Although all these things can be seen as new positive experiences, there may be a chance that you feel a bit isolated sometimes.”
5. Work experience and internships
“Work experience matters! It is probably not something you need to worry about until you’ve been at university for a while, but it will definitely help you with your course. Even if that is just making you realise that the area of work may not be something you want to go into. But if it is, it will be really helpful with your course and you will have something you can tell employers about after graduation.”
George Priestman - MA Sports Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University BSc
6. Go and view your accommodation beforehand
“You should go and see your potential accommodation in person, otherwise you can be stuck with a room/area you don’t like. You can switch rooms/flats/accommodations if needed, but it’s not always guaranteed due to the high volume of students in other flats and lack of availability.”
7. Utilise university resources
“One thing would be that there are literally a million resources at uni for you to explore, for example, I wanted to boost my CV for a career in sports media so I signed up for the radio station to do my own show. I wished I had done it earlier instead of my final year.
“There’s an endless list of activities and opportunities to gain experience for something you want to do in the future.”
Chloe Maxwell - MSc in Public Relations at Liverpool John Moores University
8. You’ll meet a range of people
“I moved to the other end of the country alone and found myself living and befriending people who were completely different. It felt like a whole new world, and a breath of fresh air almost - I still have friends for life that I met at university, who are people I wouldn't have even thought I would get on with whilst at college and school.”
9. It's not as scary as it seems
“I went to the other side of the country on my own to live with people I'd never met before, and the personal development I had over those three years was insane. You don't just learn about your chosen degree/subject matter - you learn a lot about life too, you meet and live with a lot of new people, from different lifestyles and backgrounds that you might not have met whilst at school or living at home.”
10. Do what makes you happy
“I see a lot of people say 'it's not worth it' or 'it's a waste of money' - if you truly believe that university is what you want to do, even if you're not sure if your degree will 'get you anywhere', don't listen to them. I truly believe that I wouldn't have had the experiences and mindset I've had if university hadn't given me the opportunity to be able to move away for four years and meet new people and study new things.”
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