Advice for New Students

JJM: University life is an independence and you’re expected to work as an independent learner. That shouldn’t be daunting. I can imagine it can sound daunting for somebody who knew to the idea of that. Or if someone’s returning to learning and they haven’t been involved for a long time and that can be really sort of overwhelming. The idea that you’ve got to come back in. ‘Where do I find things?’ that kind of stuff. But, my advice would be - embrace that. You know, just go and have an explore. Go and find things, go and search for things and do that early. Get in early and have a good look round, explore the web pages, see what’s on UEL Plus, look at UEL Direct, look at the library pages and look at the amount of journals that are on there. It’s phenomenal. So, have a good look round and just see what there is for you. >>FT: My top advice for a new student would be, just come in, explore everything, explore the library catalogue, explore the library itself, explore UEL Plus. You know, it would be quite helpful and ask your tutors for help. They do have office hours. You can go into the office and ask if it’s about the lecture, something you didn’t understand or the question, you don’t understand the question. They are quite helpful as well, not to take the study skills module for granted because it’s really, really helpful. It tells you about, you know, outright good essays, good introductions, good conclusions, good bodies for your essay or report. So yeah, not to take the study skills module for granted but it’s really helpful. >>MC: One thing I wish I had known at the beginning of my studies, that I need to use the module guide in order to aid me in doing my assessment. The module guide is not only about the different subject area to be covered but it actually tells you how to frame your essays, how to make your essay plan and what the lecture is really looking for when you do your assessment. >>JJM: If I could give one piece of advice to a student who was just starting or somebody who maybe didn’t commit themselves fully in the first year, the second year, they find themselves in the third year, they really need to get their head down and learn about the library. I would say, ‘You know what, just go into the library and speak to the people in there’. The librarians, the staff and just say, be honest with them, ‘I don’t know that much, what is there?’. And they would be more than willing to help. >>KB: When you start your studies, what I would suggest or remind you of is the fact that studying is a marathon and not a sprint. It takes time for you to develop as a student. Take time for you to be comfortable with what it is you’re expected to do and that will happen with time. But you do need to give yourself time. >>BD: For any new student, I would say, take advantage of everything it has to offer and the library is there for you and you know, it’s just such a good resource for your learning. So take advantage of it.