Tips for First Year Students

Article written by Sathyani Kotakadeniya, law and psychology double degree undergraduate from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia (QUT).

Step outside of your comfort zone

This could be your first time living away from home. Even if this is not the case, starting university can be both a daunting and exciting experience. The discomfort you might initially feel is what stepping outside of your comfort zone feels like. Don’t resist the change. Acknowledge it. In the years to come, you will thank yourself for being resilient and embracing the sensory overload that is university. Looking back, you will see how it helped you grow.

Embrace the learning curve

Success is not linear, and there will be roadblocks in your journey that might make you feel like your efforts are on a downward spiral. But remember, there is sometimes a trough before a peak. The most important thing is learning from the setbacks and remembering that it is a normal part of the learning process. You will come out stronger and wiser!

The importance of saying “No!”

When starting university, you might feel like you have plenty of time given the duration of a law degree. But time flies, and so will opportunities if you don’t grab them fast enough. But this doesn’t mean you say ‘yes’ to everything! Prioritise what is important and say ‘no’ to anything and everything else.

Be wary of receiving advice

Receiving advice is important. It helps you to get a different point of view. But different peoples’ perspectives on the same situation can be different. At university, you’ll hear a lot of senior students giving very different advice on the importance of academics and study methods. What might work for them might not work for you. So, take advice, but see if it fits with what you are trying to achieve. Don’t try to enforce it into your own life if it doesn’t.

But this being said, some people can provide you with the help you are looking for. If you need advice on academics, ask academic advisors of the teaching team in the relevant unit. The point is to take advice from the appropriate source.

Enjoy the university experience!

Run your own race. Treasure each moment and learn from the journey. It is great to be ambitious and to set goals for yourself. However, also keep in mind that you’re not going to remember the exhaustive list of textbooks you finished reading when you graduate, but the memories you made. So, make time for yourself. Make time for the people you love.