Written by: Mehek Hathiramani
Moving away, experiencing a new city, making new friends and having intellectually enriching modules is undoubtedly thrilling. However, it does come with a set of challenges. Transitioning to university has changed me for the better, and this blog aims to provide you with a little insight into how I smoothed the transition.
I imagine that most students reading this may be planning on moving to Newcastle for university. However, Newcastle is my home city, so I did start off with a lot of familiarity. I’m sure you may think this made the process much easier, but in my case, this came with its own unique set of challenges. The concepts of referencing, independent study and handing in coursework took me by surprise at first, but over time, I’ve managed to get a better grasp of these.
If you’re a prospective student, then it’s likely that referencing is a new concept for you. You might be apprehensive at the thought of referencing, but thanks to referencing software such as Endnote and Zotero, you can export citations and automatically reference, so you can pick up easy referencing marks in your essays whilst barely having to lift a finger. The library also organises referencing help sessions, and I also had a referencing tutorial within one of my lectures, which helped me build a solid foundation in formatting references. It is important to check references, a useful resource is the Cite Them Right document, which can be found here. This is a concise document outlining the different referencing styles which can be checked against your bibliography.
Workload
I’ve found that the workload varies a lot within my Marketing and Management degree. Typically, the Christmas break and month of May are the busiest for me, sometimes with overlapping exams and essay submission deadlines. Although this might sound like your worst nightmare, I can assure you that with effective time-management and prioritisation strategies, you can still enjoy the festivities whilst applying your best efforts to your assignments. The best thing about having submissions during or after the break is that you have plenty of time to work through your task list and come back refreshed for another enriching semester. In terms of managing your workload, I would always recommend starting early. It is easier said than done, but starting early gives you a good estimation of timescale. You can then use this estimation to prioritise your assignments and manage your time appropriately.
Essay writing was something that I initially struggled to get the grasp of at the beginning of university. Although I had done an Extended Project Qualification at school, I found that the standard of writing at university is much higher. However, I managed to combat this using the marking grids provided by the academics. These helped me to understand the requirements of a high achieving essay. I would also recommend asking more specific questions to the academics in discussion boards and via email. The University’s Writing Development Centre can also support, you can book one-to-one appointments here. Taking initiative using these methods will help clear any doubts you may have and ensure your essay is high quality. For general essay writing advice, I would always recommend writing your introduction and conclusion last, and as a rule of thumb, including 1 reference for every 100 words in academic writing. Once you’ve cracked the formula for your essays, you’ll be pleased to find that the writing process gets much easier over time.
Overall, settling into university is an incredible opportunity for personal growth, increasing your knowledge and building fulfilling friendships. By embracing the opportunities you encounter, you can shape your university experience into a positive and unforgettable one. Looking back on my journey, I am immensely grateful for the experiences, support and opportunities that Newcastle University has offered me, and I am excited to see what the future holds.