Preparing for University - How to Set Off on the Right Foot     📚✏️🎒🏫🎓📝🍎

The transition from sixth form to university is challenging for everyone. When thrown into the unfamiliar environment of term 1 freshers often feel overwhelmed by the increased workload and social events, in turn leading to high stress levels and mental health issues (Macaskill, 2013). As students who have survived term 1 at university, we’ve compiled a list of useful advice to support you academically, socially and emotionally as you settle into university life.

📚 Academic Tips 📚

One important thing to remember for the academic side of uni is, well, your academics! 

It can be difficult to adjust to the near-complete freedom of university learning, so you must remember to schedule time to do your reading and studying, as this will prevent you from procrastinating doing your work. 

It’s as easy as setting aside an hour per day (not including weekends) just to focus on a specific module. This will help you manage your stress and stay motivated towards the end of each term when all the deadlines start to pile on. While almost all students have procrastinated at some point during their studies, research shows that procrastination increases stress and is harmful to academic success (Hailikari et al., 2021).

Don't be like Jim!

Another important skill to practise is goal setting and self-discipline (Duckworth et al., 2010). We recommend using a Gantt chart, an effective long term project management method (Klein, 2000) which can be used to track and manage assignment progress. If you’ve been set an essay a month or two in advance, Gantt charts allow you to plan out what you’re going to work on and how to get it done on time, which is sadly quite important at uni. 

Here's an example of a Gantt chart. Easy tracking makes for easier self-discipline! 

Don’t limit yourself to just Gantt charts, either. If you find another method that works better for you, use it! The more sense it makes to you, the better, as this makes it easier to commit to an implementation intention (Duckworth et al., 2010).

⭐️ Social Tips ⭐️

Immerse yourself in all of the societies and sports clubs that your university has to offer! Engaging in leisure activities and hobbies can be extremely beneficial for your mental well-being (Santini et al., 2022). For example, indoor rock climbing has been found to reduce depression symptoms (Luttenberger et al., 2015; Santini et al., 2022). Additionally, the act of focusing on a single activity could contribute to resilience (Santini et al., 2022), which is undoubtedly an important skill to have at university. Visit your student union homepage and attend societies fairs to see what your university has to offer. 

No matter how busy university may get with deadlines and other commitments, it is important that you factor in some time for fun! Packer (2021) found that taking short breaks can restore well-being and increase our ability to pay focused attention. Detaching from work could simply involve talking to flatmates in the kitchen or pushing yourself a bit more by going on a night out. By doing so, you may be in a better place mentally when you return to work. This highlights the importance of having a good work-life balance throughout your degree. 

🧠 Mental Health Tips 🧠

Transitioning to university can be especially challenging as you are now suddenly expected to live alone, make new friends, handle finances, and manage your own learning (Macaskill, 2013). This expectation of total independence can make us feel like our problems are only our own and thus only ours to fix, therefore preventing students seeking help when it's most needed (Rickwood, 2007). 

It is common to feel overwhelmed in term 1 of uni

However, it’s crucial to speak to trusted friends, family, and professionals in times of stress. This is the first step to getting help, and builds emotional competence and improves mental resilience, and also prevents future spirals into depressive and stressful thoughts (Rickwood, 2007).

It's also important to know how to handle stress so it doesn't control your university experience. There are numerous coping mechanisms for stress, so it's best to test and see what works for you. Examples include relaxation (i.e. setting aside time for hobbies and other enjoyable activities) and practising mindfulness (i.e. focusing on what piece of work is most important and not worrying about those yet to come because they can be worked on later (Regehr, 2013)).

If you feel the stress to be too overwhelming, your university will have help services available that can provide assistance, self-help resources, and access to various helplines.

Thank you so much for reading our blog post, we hope that our tips help you in your first term of uni! 

References

Duckworth, A. L., Grant, H., Loew, B., Oettingen, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2011). Self-regulation strategies improve self-discipline in adolescents: Benefits of mental contrasting and implementation intentions. Educational Psychology (Dorchester-on-Thames), 31(1), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2010.506003

Hailikari, T., Katajavuori, N., & Asikainen, H. (2021). Understanding procrastination: A case of a study skills course. Social Psychology of Education, 24(2), 589-606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-021-09621-2

Klein, R. (2000) Scheduling of Resource-Constrained Projects, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 56. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_j_YUUAcvs0C&pg=PA56&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Luttenberger, K., Stelzer, E. M., Först, S., Schopper, M., Kornhuber, J., & Book, S. (2015). Indoor rock climbing (bouldering) as a new treatment for depression: study design of a waitlist-controlled randomized group pilot study and the first results. BMC psychiatry, 15, 201. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-015-0585-8

Macaskill, A. (2013). The mental health of university students in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 41, 426-441. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2012.743110

Packer, J. (2021). Taking a break: Exploring the restorative benefits of short breaks and vacations. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 2(1) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2020.100006

Regehr, C., Glancy, D., Pitts, A. (2013). Interventions to reduce stress in university students: A review and meta analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 148(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.11.026

Rickwood, D. J.,Deane, F. P.,Wilson, C. J. (2007). When and how do young people seek professional help for mental health problems? The Medical Journal of Australia, 187(7), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01334.x

Santini, Z. I., Koushede, V., Hinrichsen, C., Nelausen, M. K., Madsen, K. R., Meilstrup, C., Koyanagi, A., & Nielsen, L. (2022). Challenging leisure activities and mental health: Are they more beneficial for some people than for others? Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 26(1), 34-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-06-2021-0033