University is a whole new phase of life, and the excitement just doesn’t end! Most of us, back in school, was used to five-day weeks of incessant teaching lessons where you’re taught to sit down quietly, raise your hand if you want to speak, and generally just do what the teacher tells you to. Guess what- you’re a free bird now! Teachers care a lot less about how you’re following up throughout the semester, and you will be held accountable for all the time you didn’t utilize when it comes down to examinations. (not so exciting now, is it?)
Student, Ahoy!
If you don’t have a set plan for study before you enter university, you’ll find yourself in a flood of deadlines for writing research reports and projects. To avoid being swept away, every student should have a certain skill set before entering university to ensure they stay at par with their future goals. Universities have a relatively empty schedule throughout the week, with a few scattered lectures and seminars every other day or so. The reason behind such an empty schedule- you’re the captain of your own boat! No one is going to steer you away from the thunderstorms but yourself. You have to spend at least double the duration of a lecture you take studying and absorbing the course. More than often, a lecture concludes with the teacher assigning research work or a collaborative group research project for you to hand in at a set deadline.
Know just how to write, to read, and to speak
The most useful skill you need in any university is writing understandable, fluent English. The mode of communication, if you’re studying abroad, is most probably English as well, which is all the more reason why you must polish your English reading and writing skills. The best way to do this is to hire an online teacher who’ll make sure you’re having a daily dose of grammar, vocabulary and sentence formation. Good English skills will help you collaborate effectively in class, take notes speedily and deliver understandable, coherent research assignments. In order to present your instructor with a top-notch assignment, you have to make use of the internet too. Rather, you will have to make use of the internet all throughout your study program for various reasons. You can visit online assignment help websites for getting a headstart into writing quality reports.
Update your brain’s mileage
Speed reading is one of the best skills you can have as a university student. It is simply the ability to be able to skim through written text at a fast pace whilst absorbing the content as well. It’s a brain exercise to try to read speedily and will help you a great deal getting your university assignment and research work delivered on time without tiring yourself out at all. Some people argue that it’s something you’re born with, but that’s a common misconception. For enhancing your speed reading abilities, it’s highly recommended to consult ‘The speed reading book’ by Tony Buzan.
The skill of speed reading also comes in handy when you need to take notes during lectures in class. Often, teachers make use of PowerPoint slides, and once they’re finished talking – click! – a new slide pops up, and you haven’t even noted down the last one yet. Don’t get the reputation of being ‘the slow one’ in class, it’ll be detrimental for your confidence!
Leave the cave of silence and solitude
Moving onto the presentations… which might be the scariest monster out there for people who experience stage fright. University requires you to be confident, and this requirement is graded! You have to develop speaking skills in order to deliver a cohesive, smart presentation that your instructor won’t lift his eyebrow at. For this, bury your timid nature in the ground and don’t draw up a map for it. To get your speaking skills enhanced and polished, run the extra mile – enroll yourself in an online collaborative class with a virtual teacher who can help you step up as a debater or public speaker in the days you have left before entering university.
Don’t snooze that alarm clock
A desirable skill you should have before entering university is time management. This skill is, arguably, one that every individual should possess, but once you’re opting for higher education- you can’t compromise punctuality. University professors might use late comers to teach a lesson of discipline to the whole class, which means you may get some extra harsh treatment if you earn the title of ‘the one who is always late to class’. Avoid that sort of negativity in your university life. Try to be as punctual as punctual can be!
Time management is not only about reaching to class on time, though. It means keeping a set schedule for all your activities, preferably on a schedule on your phone so that you can take it with you wherever you go. You have to sort your life out and allot set time to study. Set some time apart for your social life too, so that you don’t lose the spark in you. Making friends and hanging out is quite important for your mental health and lets you breathe for a bit, knowing that you’re not alone in this grind. Make sure you have a framework of how you’ll be managing your time once you hit university- so that you hit it with a bang!
Brainstorm yourself
Sit down and think about the entire university year, up to the examinations. You can’t stress yourself out, by lounging around all year and trying to cram a book before a huge test; It’s just a silly move to make. Instead, methodically set apart a chapter for every month. Have your research assignments prepared and double-checked online because often the work you put into them will be assessed in your final exams as well. This will make sure you’re really absorbing the knowledge you’re gaining and you will find it a hundred times easier to revise before the exam. Getting a certain skill set ready and polishing it days prior to entering university is an efficient way to reach the goals you have in mind as you take on this new road. It’s just the recipe for acing university!
