University can be a momentous leap from high school and college, and for most students it is an inexorable change.
Conventionally there are a bunch of propitious expectations when you are about to start your classes – that your university days will be the preeminent chapter of your life, that you will have encounters with some wondrous people and will make some amazing friends. Even though it sounds very promising, the reality however illustrates that the actual experience is discrete for every person.
To make sure that you don’t feel like that the sky is falling upon you, here are some tips on what to expect from university
“You don’t have to study once you get into University” – is a lie
I am pretty sure that most of you have been listening to this since like forever. However, it is high time you acknowledged the fact that, this a common misconception and since there is no escaping studying, the sooner you eradicate this information from your system the better. Unlike high school, here you can’t really get A’s just by studying the month before finals.
In university if you want to do well, then consistency is the key. Different faculties may have disparate ways of teaching and evaluating performance.
There are going to be pop up quizzes, individual and group assignments, presentations, sudden makeup classes, classes right before midterms, two finals in one day and many other unfortunate events. Sounds crazy right? But that is how it might get. Thus, to keep your sanity in check, be aware of what is happening in the classes and try not to procrastinate very much.
It does not matter whether you are an extrovert or an introvert
Fitting into the culture is a major concern for a lot of students. But you don’t have to feel anxious about it at all. Students from different backgrounds and lifestyles are accumulated here. People here are more accepting and progressive than most of the people you have met till now.
If you are an extrovert then you are going to make a lot of friends and fabricate networks with a lot of diverse people. This will surely embellish your communication skills.
On the other hand, if you are an introvert then you don’t need to worry either. You can mind your own business without others forcing you to fit in. Majority of the people will respect your choices and sooner or later you will find like-minded people.
This is what is commonly witnessed at universities. Of course exception might occur, but hey, Exception can’t be set as an example right?
Always expect smarter people
If you got into your dream university/college or you are about to start studying something you always wanted to, then first of all Congratulations! It takes a ton of hard work and a tiny bit of luck to get what you want. However, like all the good things in the world you shouldn’t take your achievements for granted. Similarly, overthinking about failures might cause you some inconveniences as well. A lot of students suffer from inferiority complex and imposter syndrome after getting into their dream university. It occurs mainly due to reason that in top universities majority of the students are overachievers, highly competitive and perfectionists. Now when all of the toppers are gathered together not everyone can be the topper of the overachievers. This leaves some students to feel despondent and demotivated. Eventually some students start losing self-confidence. To avoid this phenomenon you might accept the fact that it is okay if some people are better than you in a particular area and there is no shame in learning new things from others.
You don’t always have to best at everything cause if you are always the smartest one in the room then you are probably in the wrong room.
Grades or Extra curriculars?
There are going to be two groups of people who are going to have different opinions about this. One of the groups is going to say that grades are more important than anything and another group will proclaim that your grades won’t matter if you don’t participate in extra curriculars. Well, none of the groups are exactly right.
It is pointless to deny the significance of grades. Having good grades will always be an advantage no matter what you want to do in the future. Extra curriculars on the other hand enriches your knowledge about your surroundings and the world and develops a lot of skills. However, compromising your grades for the sake of extra curriculars can’t be the solution. Finding the right balance between these two is the key.
You are going to do just fine!
Although life might feel like a rollercoaster ride sometimes, eventually things get normal. You will learn to be there for yourself and others. Most importantly you will learn to take responsibility for your actions. Unlike other myths, it is actually true that this phase of your life has an egregious impact on your future. University will provide you with a platform where you will be able to share your thoughts, ideas and opinions independently. You can develop some skills or polish existing ones during this time.
Optimism, hard work and empathy are the three things you need and everything will fall into places.
To sum up, all I can say is that it is going to be an exciting ride, so, just hang in there.