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Welcome, all first-year students of 2024!
As expected, new students would probably feel extremely nervous about their transition from high school to university – and that’s okay! It’s a whole new world in university compared to high school, and it’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. But fear not, young grasshopper, because here are important tips for starting at Western Sydney University:
Introducing yourself to your classmates:
While settling into your new classes when the semester begins, try to get to know your peers; It can make a great difference to the enjoyment of your time on campus, and help broaden your social circle, where opportunities could then come your way such as: being involved in clubs and sports!
Now, if you’re a shy person and hate having to go up to someone to start a conversation, here’s some advice – it’s all about the mindset: when you go up to a stranger, you both already have something in common: neither of you knows what the other is going to say! So, say whatever interests you – and you might just find a common connection.
Join clubs around campus:
At Western Sydney University, we have a wide variety of clubs to choose from that are filled with creative, like-minded individuals. This can turn a bland year of assignments, exams, and stress into a colourful one filled with memories you can look back on and cherish, from attending events such as meetups, trips and more!
Some of the clubs on WESTERNLife are the Book Club, the Queer Collective, and The Western Run Club, as well as many others.
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Don’t overwork yourself – It’s not worth it:
While starting your classes and settling into university life, please don’t overwork yourself immediately.
It’s perfectly fine to take breaks from time to time and take a day for yourself, rather than burning yourself out from staying up till 4 am to finish a task; it can lead to burnout and lack of motivation in the long run.
Ask for help when you need it:
In university, things work a bit differently – unlike in primary school and high school, where there are teachers, at Uni there are tutors and lecturers.
However, tutors operate the same way teachers do, and help students in any way they can to better understand the subject’s content they specialise in. Remember though: it’s up to students to focus, plan and stay on track, asking for help is always so important.
(Credit: Yan Krukau | Pexels)
When you don’t understand something in the course material, speak up and talk to your tutors rather than struggle and try to figure it out for yourself, until it’s too late (where you must then resort to cramming everything into the day before an assignment or exam).
In short: asking for help when needed is okay – it means you’re determined and want to learn! It also means you’re ready to dust off the cobwebs of 2023 and start afresh in 2024: starting uni with the mindset that anything is possible, along with daily, mental reminders for yourself to keep a positive outlook.
After all, life can be deemed as one big book, filled with a million and one footnotes: now, with these tools, start a new page: Chapter One of WSU.
What’s Your Hot Take? “Book to film/tv-adaptations are always a gamble”
