How to make the most out of university

The first three semesters of university are a battle of orientating yourself in this new phase of your life. You spend practically every minute trying to figure out how exactly to handle this new workload and phase of your life that sometimes it becomes difficult to make the most of our university life. The following are some ways you can ensure that you graduate from university without any regret over not having done enough.

Enroll In Extracurriculars

One very distinguishing factor between university and high school is the sheer volume of people, university has many more students than an average high school does, which means people with more varied interests. In university, it’s not difficult for you to find people with whom you share interests and the easiest way to do so is by joining a club. And, the good thing is that by joining a club not only will you make new friends but also learn new skills or polish preexisting ones along the way.

Community Service

If you are passionate about giving back to the community but have never had the chance to do so, you are in great luck! Most universities have either clubs that dedicate themselves solely to community service or host regular activities dedicated to this sole purpose. Don’t hesitate to take up the chance to give back to the world and enroll yourself in these whenever you can.

Using Your University Email

Coming to some tips for your academic career, you will be surprised to know that there are many advantages to having a university-affiliated e-mail. Using this you can get special discounts on digital software you may need (such as Office 365 and GitHub’s Student Developer Pack) and sometimes even free courses in places such as Coursera as a result of your university’s affiliation with these pages. Therefore, wherever you can, make use of your university email, it will provide you with much more than you think.

Student Services Office

Almost all universities across the globe have an office dedicated solely to helping out their students. Named something along the lines of “student services office”, you are bound to have one in your university. These places can come in handy as they are the best place for any queries you might have regarding your academics. They have things like job postings, FAQs, directions (really useful if you are a first-semester student wandering around lost on campus), and even contact sheets for teachers you may wish to approach. These are all things you may need to make use of during your studies, therefore familiarizing yourself and making good use of this resource is worthwhile.

Teaching Assistants

Did you know that teaching assistants in university are paid not only to grade quizzes and assignments of a professor but also to help out students? Not everyone is comfortable approaching their professors, as professors can seem very old and experienced in comparison to students. However, approaching somebody who is around your age, goes to the same university and department (sometimes even has the same major as you!) may seem like a less daunting task. Going to your TA for any questions you may have is sometimes much easier and something most professors would also advise you to do. So next time you have any queries, don’t hesitate to hit up your TA for the course you are having difficulty in, you may find that along with helping you understand the material taught or clarifying any misunderstanding you may have of the material taught, the TA may offer you some insight or advice as a fellow student and your senior on the course (perhaps give you some tips on how to win over your professor too). Therefore, once you get your TA’s contact don’t hesitate to walk up to them and talk! You may leave your conversation with them with much more knowledge than you had when you went up to them for help.