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The end of a University year is over and now is the perfect time to reflect.

Posted 13th July 2017
by Matthew

It’s July and after nine months of incredibly hard work, patience and many late nights of reading and essay writing I can finally say that I have successful passed the first year of my foundation degree with Distinction. Apart from many recent well deserved sleep ins and relaxation time following this incredible year, now is the time to reflect on what I have learnt and consider new approaches to make my second and third years of HE a little bit more manageable and less stressful. So here we go…



At the beginning of the year, one of my lecturers said to me that completing a degree is only as hard as you make it. And by that, if you leave everything to the last minute and not put the effort into completing your assignments then you are only making it more and more difficult for yourself. One thing I have learnt about HE at Hull College is that it is very routine and methodological. Regardless of what ever module you take and the type of assignments you must complete, you repeat the same steps and processes time and time again. So the more quickly you understand and perfect these routines the more easier, in my opinion, completing your degree will be.





So, my top tips for surviving your first year...



1. Assign at least one dedicated hour, outside of lectures and tutorials, every day to work on your assignments and reading.

2.Put things into perspective and relax. But make sure you read and understand your assignment questions as misunderstanding the criteria can have a detrimental impact on your overall grade.

3.Constantly talk to your tutors about every and any concern you have. At the end of the day you are paying them and the institution for the best possible tuition. So don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk, even if it feels like you are bugging them, as they are being paid to teach, listen and support.

4.Assign some me time. To keep yourself sane and get that typical university lifestyle, be sure to put some time aside for yourself. Hang out with friends, go see a movie, play with your Lego sets or what-ever suits you.

5.Be prepared to do lots of reading and assignment planning.







So, what’s next install for my second year.

A major focus for my second year at uni is a Group Project which revolves around planning and designing a construction project from its initial conception to the end of the pre-construction stage. Talking with students from the previous year, it is a module that can be very tough, stressful and tiring. Other modules I will be taking will be CAD, Law and Contract, Building Legislation, Health and Safety and Building Technology.



Hopefully, the second year goes as well as this year, if not better. So, talk to you again soon.





Matthew

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