How to navigate your first semester at Lincoln Uni

What to expect and how to prepare yourself for your first semester here at Lincoln

2 years ago

Beyond Freshers’ Week and the hangovers, the homesickness and the pile of washing that is already forming in your room, you’ll probably be wondering what to expect from your first semester. Looking past the 9AM lecture times, the first semester will build on your new found independence and give you coping mechanisms that you will carry for the rest of your time at Lincoln. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming when faced with everything at once, here is what to expect and how to prepare for your first semester at uni.

Finding your confidence in a new environment

The first semester is daunting, even for the showboats among us. You’ll face lots of academic “firsts” in your first semester – your first lecture and seminar, your first answer, the first exam or assessment. Although a new environment can be overwhelming, seminars are collaborative spaces, developed to bring fresh minds to old thought.

Preparing well for seminars and spending time writing notes about your essential readings will help minimise your anxiety and can save your seminars from those painful, awkward silences and clueless stares as you pretend to flick through you blank notebook for answers.

As you come to understand each seminar tutors expectations, and how they can be a hero or a villain depending on how much prep they set for you, you will become more comfortable and understand how much (or little) work you can expect.

You don’t need to write everything down

You’ll miraculously be able to survive a lecture without five pens, two notebooks, a charger and a Tesco’s meal deal – your laptop or notebook and a pen will suffice. With anything new, we all overly-prepare and dread the thought of forgetting something essential. It is exactly the same with note taking. Lectures are designed to give you an overview and a direction as to where you should focus your attention on your own research, making reams of long-handed notes will not make you revise them any quicker.

Instead, stick to short and snappy sentences or use the devised technique of the “Three principles” – taking note of the significant person, date and relevant statistics that you are covering so you can always find information for yourself easily. More importantly, you aren’t scrambling to write a full slide of notes before your lecturer goes to the next slide, leaving your notes in half-sentences and useless.

Knowing how to use your time wisely

Time management is not a stereotypical trait of a uni student, and you’ll soon learn that it’s easier to spend your time “revising” in The Swan than it is the library, however mastering it in the first semester can set you into a healthy routine. Giving yourself a structure that is achievable is the first place to start. Don’t lie to yourself and set unrealistic targets, make sure to create habits and find environments that work well for you to study in. Even if Towers is your happy place, find a space that that gives you focus and motivation.

Equally important though, is knowing when to take a break and switch off. Dividing your time between what you need to do and what you want to do makes life at uni easier. You’ll have plenty of free hours when you want to rewatch your favourite Netflix series back-to-back and not have to think about anything other than when you’re going to boil the kettle for your next pot noodle.

But don’t forget that attendance to seminars and lectures is monitored, although don’t expect the university’s system to guess it right – as we’ve all found out these last few weeks. The freedom that you find at uni also allows you to ignore your alarm clock and avoid getting out of bed for the day, but why pay £9,250 a year for that? If you are truly unlucky with a “sickness bug and a severe migraine”, make time in the week to catch up by watching the recorded lectures and seminar PowerPoints that are mostly always available through Blackboard.

Everyone thinks they’re a fraud at some point

Whether you’re sat next to somebody in a seminar who is talking about something you have completely no idea about, or a lecturer says “but you probably already know that”, it is easy to begin to doubt your own capabilities – don’t panic, everyone has the inevitable imposter syndrome kick in when work becomes overwhelming.

Naturally, a bad result in an assessment or a poor presentation in a seminar is disappointing, and unfortunately nobody can make that sound any better, but don’t be a debbie downer about it for too long. It’s easy to be hard on yourself but you’ll soon find your own rhythm. It’s unheard of for everyone to settle in straight away and know all the answers. Take your time to find out what methods work best for you and and treat your first semester as the learning curve that it is.

Don’t let this time pass you by

Your first semester will be your chance to explore new opportunities, meet new friends and enjoy everything that Lincoln has to offer. While we all have heard the phrase “first year doesn’t matter”, it will be the year that you see your biggest personal growth.

Joining either a sport, social or academic society will help you settle in and find people who share the same interests as you, something you may not have found with your flatmates or people on your course. Branching out within your first semester and exploring beyond the campus too will also make sure you won’t go home after three years without having seen what Lincoln has to offer.