How I got the best out of my first semester at ARU

Joining uni was an exciting time and I can’t believe I’m already partway through my second semester. I’ve learnt a lot in this time that has helped me to manage my studies and still enjoy myself. So here are my tips for how I made the most of my first semester at ARU.

1. Socialise

Reach out to people, make friends and interact with one another, whether that be with the people on your course, your flat mates… or both! It is often said that the friends you make at university are friends for life, and there’s no denying that having a solid group of friends around you to have fun with and talk to when you need someone is an enormous benefit as you enter this new and exciting stage in your lives.

The 'Joining ARU' Facebook group is a great place to start and can help you get in contact with some of the other people who will be studying the same course as you or living in the same accommodation.

2. Stay prepared

Balancing a social life with university study is 100% possible and it is healthy to have a good mix of the two, but it is especially important to stay caught up as much as possible with your studies in order to get the best out of your course and achieve the best understand of the content possible. Once you fall behind and start missing classes or not finishing required reading, it can be hard to catch up and this can be quite overwhelming and demotivating.

Make sure you allow yourself ample time to prepare for your lectures and give yourself the chance to fully complete the required work to stand you in the best stead possible. If you do fall behind or are struggling with the workload at any point, you can always speak to your personal tutor, who will assist you in developing a plan for you to catch up and manage your studies efficiently around your other commitments.

3. Enjoy it

We tend to produce our best work when we are truly invested in a topic and enjoying it, so let that shine through in your work by finding ways that work for you to have fun while learning. Remember why you chose that particular course and keep the passion for the subject in mind throughout.

It can be easy to get caught up in obsessing about whether your work is good enough or whether what you are doing is right, and this can quickly pull the fun out of it. Instead of criticising yourself too harshly, try to study productively and find your areas for improvement while enjoying what you do and immersing yourself in the greater freedom that university study allows compared to school.

Everyone has the chance to learn, have fun and thrive at ARU! If you’ve already received your offer, we look forward to welcoming you to study with us in 2021/22. And if you haven’t applied yet, it’s not too late – browse our courses and start your ARU journey.

Laura studies BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics at ARU. Find out more about this, and other degree courses, at one of our Open Days.