When you are new to a community, you are basically starting from scratch and will need to work harder at establishing yourself within the community. Starting university can be a wonderful and exciting experience, but it can also bring its own unique challenges.
Here are some tips that will help make that slightly daunting first year in the university easier for you:
Socialize
Whether you are new in your team or it’s your first day at university you need to start engaging with people. Do this within reason, of course. If you take an interest in people, people will take an interest in you.
Be organized with your priorities
Get a calendar, whether an online app or good old paper diary, and write down all your deadlines, exams, group meetings and school events. You will have dozens of different assignments during your college years and the sooner you find a routine that fits you, the better. Make it your priority to never hand in an assignment late.
Participate in activities organized by your university
Whether it is extra-curriculum lecture, or a Christmas party organized by the faculty, these events are a great opportunity to get to know your classmates, professors and professionals better, but also to learn interesting things.
All the tips sound great, but let’s face the truth… It’s not easy to make friends if you are new, it’s even harder to prioritize your tasks and deadlines if you don’t really know how to prioritize them, and if you don’t have any friends yet it’s not an easy task to find out about activities organized by your university.
Our last tip is the key to succeed in your first year of university.
Don’t be afraid to bring up an issue or ask for help
Find a mentor, every student should be able to get support. Peer mentoring describes a relationship where a more experienced student helps a less experienced student improve overall academic performance and provides advice, support, and knowledge to the mentee. Peer Mentors will help first year students form a community, make important connections, and achieve a sense of belonging on campus.
Contact us today and find out more about our Peer Mentoring Platform!