As a second year English Literature undergraduate student, I often think about how far I’ve come on my university journey so far. In just over a year and a half of degree work, I have learnt a few things along the way, and here are some things I wish I knew before I started my degree.

When I first started in first year, my first few essays were all completed in my room at my halls. This is obviously somewhere you will inevitably work, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with writing an essay or completing tasks at your desk. What this can lead to however is a lack of separation between work and home life. Your room is your space, and it is important to keep it as a space of rest! It took me a little while to realise just how many quiet, comfortable working spaces there are on campus: the library, Prospect House, The Hive (on the first floor of the SU), to name but a few. But when I did, it meant when I would spend a couple of hours extra on campus a week, I could come home and properly relax – away from that week’s work.

My first piece of advice then is to try working on campus. We all must find our own rhythm with what works best, but I know a lot of people who like being in a quiet, focused space. The University has plenty of these!

As with all things, completing university work is all about balancing time. I found what really helped in my first year was taking regular notes outside of class alongside my lectures. For me, as an English Literature undergrad, that involved annotating my books as I read them, but for others, that might look different. I know many people who revisit lecture recordings (which are all easily available online on the University website!) just to jog their memory for exams, essays or other assessments.

If you are really struggling with any bit of your course, one thing I would advise is to remember that that is okay! University is meant to be a challenge, and you’re not supposed to always get everything perfectly each time! The best advice I can give you if you are in this situation is to book in for office hours with your academics – be it your academic advisor, lecturer, or another member of staff you are familiar with. Even if I feel I’m in a good place with an essay or a piece of work, I still book in for office hours just in case they can help!

Coming off the back studying for A-levels, higher education can seem like quite an adjustment. Rather than being told about prescriptive methods for revising and working, a lot of work is left to your own devices at university. This is – in honesty – either a blessing or a curse, depending on if you know what you’re doing! What I’ve offered here is just a few bits of advice that helped me manage my time, and hopefully they can do the same for you!

Written by Jacob Broughton-Glerup, a 2nd year BA English Literature student

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