University life

Q. Is university the same as school?
A. No it is very different in the sense that you have to rely on yourself. Don't expect to have someone to tell you that you have to do this or that and to have your homework written somewhere. You have to rely on yourself, be self-organised and you have to lead yourself through your studies.

Q. What is the workload like?
A. Sometimes it can get quite tough if you have so many essays in for a particular deadline. For example with my degree course they have always been either at the end of a ten week term or week one of the following term. For example if you had taken three modules in a particular term, you could have three essays in for end of that term or three essays in for the first week back. But if you plan your time properly and you organise, say by starting one essay earlier to try and get one out of the way, you can juggle it. It does get tough sometimes but as you long as you try to organise your workload properly then you should be fine.

Q. Tell me about student support
A. Student support play a really big part in each university. They are always there to help you with any issues that you have as a student. Student support are willing to chat if you have a family problem, an academic issue or a problem with some of your corridor friends. They are there to point you in the right direction and if they cannot help you then they will know someone who can.

Q. What kinds of societies are there at university?
A. There are many different societies depending on your university. At my university we had everything from archery to aerobics to political societies to gliding (which I was a member of). There are lots of different things to get involved in. If there is something that you want to do but there isn't a society already there, then you can always form your own and the students union will help you with that.

Q. Can joining societies help with your future career?
A. There are also societies that are specific to the course that you are doing and they help you with your later career. They set you up for certain work experiences and graduate jobs and gaining experience in that sense. So they cater for all types of interest.

Q. Is there a lot of reading?
A. That depends on which course you choose to do. If you choose a traditional academic subject such as English then there is a lot of reading required. Whereas if you choose a more science based course then you will be doing more practical work. It varies but you will have to do reading for any course as you have to be assessed. However you decide how much reading to do and how much not to do as well.

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