How I Got Straight Firsts at University
And how can you get them, too?
It's been a long old year, and to be honest I cannot wait for next year to come so I can learn new things, meet new people and gain more expertise in my chosen area of study. The second year is a big year in terms of preparing for my dissertation, tutors having higher expectations regarding my performance and all that jazz, so the stakes are high and the pressure is on. That's why I'm grateful I achieved an overall first for this academic year, and in a majority of my assignments and assessments. I feel more prepared than ever to continue and succeed with the rest of my degree.
And I want you guys to be able to say the same, no matter what grades you got in the past or are going to get, I want you to feel confident within yourself and your own abilities, and to make the most out of your higher education.
Note: This post has not been created for me to boast my grades. It is an informal resource for you guys to read and gain some ideas from which may help you next academic year. If anything does sound at all boastful, I do apologise.
Aim high in college/sixth form: We are starting from right before university even begins, here. This doesn't mean you have to score high consistently in all your exams or coursework during college or sixth form. However, aiming high will enable you to understand and prepare yourself for the high expectations you will experience at university. Aiming high will also prevent you from becoming incredibly shocked when you see the first few deadlines you're expected to complete, as you'll be confident in your own abilities and motivate yourself to be the best you can possibly be.
My top advice?: Ask your college tutors about things like referencing, exam techniques and learning to stick to a word count. These are all skills you should practice and master while you still have the consistent guidance of a form tutor, whereas at university you will have five study skills sessions alongside sixty other equally confused students and then you're left alone and expected to have understood everything.
Make the most of your tutors: Although tutors at university have to support five times the amount of students that college and sixth form tutors do (ten times the amount, in some cases), you should definitely grab at every opportunity you have to meet with them and discuss your progress. I made sure I booked at least two tutorials each semester with all of my lecturers, especially around deadline times. One tutorial, I would show them my draft or at least half an essay that they could give constructive feedback on and tell me whether or not I was on the right lines. I would then work from this feedback and develop my essay further to show them in my second tutorial so I could see what was left to develop on from their perspective and if it was adequate enough to submit.
Top tip: Always listen and do what your lecturers/tutors say, even if you do not agree. They are the experts. They are trying to help you, even if it seems as though they are being absolutely ruthless. One of my lecturers this year told me my essay was well-sourced and correct but she did not like it two days before the deadline so I had to completely re-do it. I handed it in on time and got 90% because I took her advice. Trust me, they know what they are doing and their advice and knowledge is invaluable.
Pinterest!: I motivated myself by creating a Study Motivation board and pinning loads of mouth-watering photos of gorgeous stationery, desk spaces and note-taking inspiration. This really got me motivated to clean up my desk space and create a beautiful study environment. Seeing other people being so pro-active and achieving their goals also really got me pumped and I just wanted to do the same.
Make time for yourself: If you leave yourself plenty of time to do your assignments (give yourself at least eight weeks), split your days up into when you're going to do something you enjoy and when you're going to whack out part of your essay. I say plan your time out for eight weeks because that leaves you enough time to comfortably get a top quality essay done and focus on yourself in between. It's important to do things you enjoy for a good few hours and take regular breaks, otherwise you will lose concentration and become less and less motivated to achieve and succeed. Get up at a decent time, study for a few hours, do something fun, then come back to it!
Reward yourself: Set yourself tasks as you study, for example 'today I want to get at least two paragraphs written and polished up for this essay', then give yourself a reward when you achieve it. Again, you need to keep yourself motivated and put your heart into everything you do at university to make the most out of your experience and actually enjoy it! Even if it's just a bar of chocolate or canned drink, rewarding yourself gets you a long way and is a great way to build your own self esteem, too.
Create a healthy lifestyle for yourself: This is an obvious one but many students undermine how much this absolutely helps. As my university says, 'degrees aren't built on Pot Noodles'. Eating clean with the occasional treat, drinking plenty of fluids and getting the correct amount of sleep goes a long way, makes you feel more alert and therefore you are ten times more likely to concentrate. Getting yourself out the house and exercising also helps you release those endorphins, gets yourself out of your work environment and allows you to get rid of that stress you are no doubt feeling, especially as the deadlines begin to loom over.
Enjoy your subject: It is impossible to achieve anything in your degree if you do not find any element of it interesting. There were some really dull parts of the modules I studied, but I told myself how it will help me in the future if I learn and what I've been told to learn for my essay and told myself that if I get this done, my dream job will be in the bag. By doing additional reading and taking a particular interest in what you're having to study and write about, you will notice the quality of your work start to improve. You will notice that essay questions at university are quite broad and you can actually choose what you want to draw particular attention to within reason and as long as it is relevant to the module.
Believe in yourself: This is the most important advice anyone can give you. When I entered university I was apprehensive, like everyone usually is, as to whether I would achieve the expectations set by the university. But, if I really couldn't achieve what my tutors and lecturers wanted me to achieve, would I have been let in to the university in the first place? No. We can do it, we just have to work hard, do our best, learn from our mistakes and believe in ourselves.
It's been a long old year, and to be honest I cannot wait for next year to come so I can learn new things, meet new people and gain more expertise in my chosen area of study. The second year is a big year in terms of preparing for my dissertation, tutors having higher expectations regarding my performance and all that jazz, so the stakes are high and the pressure is on. That's why I'm grateful I achieved an overall first for this academic year, and in a majority of my assignments and assessments. I feel more prepared than ever to continue and succeed with the rest of my degree.
And I want you guys to be able to say the same, no matter what grades you got in the past or are going to get, I want you to feel confident within yourself and your own abilities, and to make the most out of your higher education.
Note: This post has not been created for me to boast my grades. It is an informal resource for you guys to read and gain some ideas from which may help you next academic year. If anything does sound at all boastful, I do apologise.
Aim high in college/sixth form: We are starting from right before university even begins, here. This doesn't mean you have to score high consistently in all your exams or coursework during college or sixth form. However, aiming high will enable you to understand and prepare yourself for the high expectations you will experience at university. Aiming high will also prevent you from becoming incredibly shocked when you see the first few deadlines you're expected to complete, as you'll be confident in your own abilities and motivate yourself to be the best you can possibly be.
My top advice?: Ask your college tutors about things like referencing, exam techniques and learning to stick to a word count. These are all skills you should practice and master while you still have the consistent guidance of a form tutor, whereas at university you will have five study skills sessions alongside sixty other equally confused students and then you're left alone and expected to have understood everything.
Make the most of your tutors: Although tutors at university have to support five times the amount of students that college and sixth form tutors do (ten times the amount, in some cases), you should definitely grab at every opportunity you have to meet with them and discuss your progress. I made sure I booked at least two tutorials each semester with all of my lecturers, especially around deadline times. One tutorial, I would show them my draft or at least half an essay that they could give constructive feedback on and tell me whether or not I was on the right lines. I would then work from this feedback and develop my essay further to show them in my second tutorial so I could see what was left to develop on from their perspective and if it was adequate enough to submit.
Top tip: Always listen and do what your lecturers/tutors say, even if you do not agree. They are the experts. They are trying to help you, even if it seems as though they are being absolutely ruthless. One of my lecturers this year told me my essay was well-sourced and correct but she did not like it two days before the deadline so I had to completely re-do it. I handed it in on time and got 90% because I took her advice. Trust me, they know what they are doing and their advice and knowledge is invaluable.
Pinterest!: I motivated myself by creating a Study Motivation board and pinning loads of mouth-watering photos of gorgeous stationery, desk spaces and note-taking inspiration. This really got me motivated to clean up my desk space and create a beautiful study environment. Seeing other people being so pro-active and achieving their goals also really got me pumped and I just wanted to do the same.
Make time for yourself: If you leave yourself plenty of time to do your assignments (give yourself at least eight weeks), split your days up into when you're going to do something you enjoy and when you're going to whack out part of your essay. I say plan your time out for eight weeks because that leaves you enough time to comfortably get a top quality essay done and focus on yourself in between. It's important to do things you enjoy for a good few hours and take regular breaks, otherwise you will lose concentration and become less and less motivated to achieve and succeed. Get up at a decent time, study for a few hours, do something fun, then come back to it!
Reward yourself: Set yourself tasks as you study, for example 'today I want to get at least two paragraphs written and polished up for this essay', then give yourself a reward when you achieve it. Again, you need to keep yourself motivated and put your heart into everything you do at university to make the most out of your experience and actually enjoy it! Even if it's just a bar of chocolate or canned drink, rewarding yourself gets you a long way and is a great way to build your own self esteem, too.
Create a healthy lifestyle for yourself: This is an obvious one but many students undermine how much this absolutely helps. As my university says, 'degrees aren't built on Pot Noodles'. Eating clean with the occasional treat, drinking plenty of fluids and getting the correct amount of sleep goes a long way, makes you feel more alert and therefore you are ten times more likely to concentrate. Getting yourself out the house and exercising also helps you release those endorphins, gets yourself out of your work environment and allows you to get rid of that stress you are no doubt feeling, especially as the deadlines begin to loom over.
Enjoy your subject: It is impossible to achieve anything in your degree if you do not find any element of it interesting. There were some really dull parts of the modules I studied, but I told myself how it will help me in the future if I learn and what I've been told to learn for my essay and told myself that if I get this done, my dream job will be in the bag. By doing additional reading and taking a particular interest in what you're having to study and write about, you will notice the quality of your work start to improve. You will notice that essay questions at university are quite broad and you can actually choose what you want to draw particular attention to within reason and as long as it is relevant to the module.
Believe in yourself: This is the most important advice anyone can give you. When I entered university I was apprehensive, like everyone usually is, as to whether I would achieve the expectations set by the university. But, if I really couldn't achieve what my tutors and lecturers wanted me to achieve, would I have been let in to the university in the first place? No. We can do it, we just have to work hard, do our best, learn from our mistakes and believe in ourselves.
***
I hope this blog post has helped and motivated some of you. Enjoy your degree, your education and your university experience. It is a fantastic opportunity to study at degree level and I think everybody should be able to experience it.
I hope you all have a wonderful Summer break and absolutely smash your first semester when you get back. You CAN do it. And you will.
Liv xx
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