- You spend every night partying – This is so not the case; there’s just too much work to do and not enough time to party every night. Especially during second and third year. I’m not saying there is not alot of hard partying… i have friends who can’t remember the whole of first year freshers’ week.
- Graduates don’t get employed – Graduate employment is improving so there is no suggestion of being unemployed following uni… most unemployed graduates are unemployed because they don’t know what they want to do with their degree.
- First Year doesn’t Count – Not True! Although for some degrees the grades may not count. The information and skills you learn are often vital to succeeding in second and third year. Also your attendance is also important in first year; if your on the edge of a degree boundary your attendance can be used as a consideration if you appeal your grade.
- You don’t need to attend every lecture – Now I’ve made appoint about attendance about. But some people feel they don’t need to attend every lecture because all the information is on the powerpoints. Wrong! I’ve recently finished a module which has low attendance, the teacher gave hints about which topics would be in questions and this wasn’t on the slides.. this meant people who attended new much more about the exam and did much better.
- You can’t have a job if you want a first class degree – this ones debatable… i have friends that don’t work and will often be done with coursework miles ahead of time.. but i think it is definitely possible to get a first whilst working. Its all about how hard you work and how well you manage your time.
- Student halls are gross – Student halls can be nicer than most houses or cheap flats that graduates end up moving into. Most universities will put money into their halls as they are a major attractive step in getting first year students.
- You’ll live on pot noodles and baked beans – if you budget well enough and work hard you’ll be living a high life of amazing food, and the occasional McDonalds. If you take the time to cook you’ll be learning amazing new recipes in no time!
- Professors are just teachers with specialisms – Most lecturers are actually researchers who have clauses in their contracts to teach. This means you need to remember they are taking time out of their actual work to teach you, and need to remember to thank them for their time… it also helps when they mark your coursework too!
- You will never pay off your student loans – I don’t think its important to worry about this. You pay 9% of your annual income over £21,000 so thats as little as £64 a year. Your repayments also stop 30 years after your graduation, so don’t worry about it, there is no need to worry about it, worry about studying whilst you can.
- You need to know what career you want when starting university – Knowing an area your interested in is important before uni, or you are essentially picking the wrong degree for you. Most people discover their niche and career path whilst at uni and usually by complete accident. Though having a plan is definitely not a bad thing, its a great motivational goal and decision maker during difficult decisions.
abigailgrows 