University Guest Post: Heather’s Experience & Tips

Guest post time, and this week I have Heather from Of Beauty & Nothingness (one of my favorite blogs BTW) talking about her university experience and giving some of her top tips. I love getting others to share their experience with you all – as obviously it is different for everyone! Here’s her story…

Since I was a child, going to university was just the thing to do and I always received good grades so it was inevitable that I would go to university. However, when I didn’t do as well as I needed to to get into the university I wanted (and the only one I applied for), I ended up looking through clearing which wasn’t the quickest process and it did leave me feeling a little disheartened.

However, thankfully I was able to get into a small campus which is part of the University of Huddersfield which was only a fifteen minute drive away from my house so I didn’t have to move out; also the tiny campus didn’t even have student accommodation.

I’m generally a shy person and I do worry about anything and everything so a smaller campus was definitely the best choice for me personally and as it was small, there was so much more interaction with lecturers so I was able to ask questions and really be part of the lecture which I don’t think would have been possible in a large/main campus with one hundred or more students.

I studied psychological studies as I loved my psychology A levels and it was the topic I was best at and I’m so glad that I did take the time and effort to go through clearing and gain a place at such a great and friendly university. Even though my first day was filled with stomach turning nerves, it was a fairly relaxed and friendly day, apart from the damning lecture on plagiarism and Harvard referencing.

I am really proud of my first class BSc (Hons) degree and even though I now want a career within different field, I do think that it was worth the time, stress, money and effort as I genuinely loved my time at university and I missed it from the moment I found out my final grade.

However, if you are thinking about university, make sure you not only choose a subject that you are good at and enjoy but one you could consider yourself having as a career in the long term. Also always keep your options open! Here are a few of my university study tips:

– Always double check your references, it is worth the extra time!

– Scheduling revision/reading/essay writing time and relaxing time will definitely help you feel less guilty when you do want to relax and binge watch Netflix…

– After writing an essay go back to it a few days later as you always spot silly mistakes!

– Help out your class mates – group revision can be useful and it won’t seem as boring or stressful.

– Before an exam always make sure to eat and drink, you don’t want to be worrying about stomach gurgling noises in a silent exam room, that always happened to me!

These are some great tips, I definitely agree with the last point! If you want to share your university experience here then please get in touch at ninegrandstudent@gmail.com!

What are your top tips for university?