an architecture student

The Complete Book of Home Decorating, Barbara Mayer, 1994 📚  

I’ve been in college for the past five years and I thought I could share with you some tips I wish I knew earlier. I’m aware university life can change a lot depending on the country but I’ll try my best to do these as universal as I can

Things to bring with you: 

Your phone/laptop charger: This is super important if you take digital notes. Also, bring with you an usb in case you need to re-print that essay in the last minute. I also usually take mental notes of where the plugs are, both in the classrooms and the cafeteria, so I can seat close to it in case I need to charge my laptop. 

A water bottle to refill and some snack: It is important to nourish and keep hydrated. Prices in college are fine, but the variety and the healthiness of food is not the best. So I bring with me a snack that is both healthy and enjoyable (a favorite of mine is apple with peanut better or hummus with some bread. Sometimes I indulge in chocolate).

A notebook and a pen: Even if you take digital notes is important to have a backup in case your laptop decharges. Also, I had a few teachers who didn’t want us to use laptops, so you need to be prepared for everything. 

Some change: If you didn’t bring snacks with you, keep some coins in your wallet to buy something from the vending machine.

Meds/tampons/pads/band-aids: Bring a toiletries bag with you and keep it stocked. Put your medication in if you take any, and some painkillers. If you have your period, don’t forget to bring with you tampons or pads (this could also save the life of your classmates haha) And some hand-sanitizer!

Bonus track (Optional things that may be useful too): 

An umbrella or scarf depending on the climate where you live

A tote bag to carry books from the library

A hair band

Things to do:

Check your email daily: Trust me on this, because email (or online services, whatever your teachers prefer) is the way you are getting noticed of important information such as timetable changes, classroom changes (this one happened to me A LOT). I advice to either synchronize your university mail to your phone so you know when something comes up or check ir first thing in the morning, before your classes start. 

Work smarter, not harder: I’m still working on this one. You probably don’t need to read the fifty books your teacher recommend to prepare their subject so you have to learn which tasks are important for your final grade or which one will help you learn better. Reading a 500pages book who is only related to a very small part of the course? Perhaps not. Reading a 500pages book that is a summary of everything your teacher is going to teach? I’d totally read it if I have enough time. It will give me insight and structure to better prepare the subject. You see, in college you have a lot of subjects, and you have to find strategies to get the best result in the less time. Participation grants 30% of your final grade? Totally raise that hand in class. But you have to write five essays and they are only 15% of your grade? Don’t spend 10 hours working on each of them! Of course, I’m aware this is a very personal matter and it totally depends on what are you studying and how do you prefer to study, so adjust anything you need for this to work the best way possible!

Don’t be afraid of not sharing your notes or your exam results: This is also a very personal matter, so you have to do what do you feels it’s best. But you are in no way obligated to share your exam marks with anyone or to share your notes with your classmates. I usually share my notes from the day when a classmate is absent from class but sharing the notes from an entire subject I only do for my friends and because I decide to do so. Sometimes I work really hard on my notes: I read a lot of books, put references, and I don’t want to give away that effort. People are usually very comprehensive of this so don’t be afraid to do so if you are not comfortable sharing your notes. Of course, this doesn’t mean “don’t share anything!!” as I said, this is a personal choice, if you want to share, it’s fine, if you don’t want to, it’s also fine. 

Raise your hand in class: Ask questions, don’t be afraid to engage in debates in class. This is not highschool, teachers noticing you is good. There’s a high chance that being participative is important to your final grade and speaking in class may result in the difference between a lower or higher grade. Also, university not only serves to learn stuff, you are also preparing yourself for “real life”. So if you are afraid of speaking in public, think of it as a training for the future.

Engage in activities: Universities usually have a lot of clubs. You can find one that’s related to your interests. Is it politics? Maybe drama? In my college there’s one about Lord of the Rings! This way, you are not only studying, and if you are worried about making friends, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of nice people with whom you share interests!

Surround yourself with people who inspire you and makes you feel good: I made some of the best friendships of my life in college. I can talk to them about my day, about shared classes… I feel supported. But it’s fine if you don’t make friends at college. Really, it’s fine. You can have a nice chat with your classmates but if it doesn’t develop into a friendship, it’s okay. Rely in your friends and family from outside university to help you de-stress. Vent about your day, about that horrible teacher, let them take care of you. This way, if something happens at college, you will feel supported and the situation won’t look that bad, I’m sure.

Take care of yourself, both physically and mentally: This is probable the most important tip I can give you. There is so much work and studying to be done in college that sometimes we forget to look at how we feel. So be aware of signals. And, please, don’t feel guilty if you wake up with a fever and you can’t go to class (I advice strongly against going to class ill. It’s not gonna serve you. You’ll feel worse and you’ll probably can’t keep with the rhythm of the class). Explain the next day to your teacher why you didn’t came the day before (I usually text one of my classmates so they can do me the favor of explaining the situation to my teacher and then myself I come to talk to them the next day). Same goes with mental health, although it’s okay if you don’t want to share the specific details. It’s okay if you just say that you were sick (because that’s the truth). So, what happens when it’s mandatory that you go to class? If I feel terrible and in no way I make it to class I usually email my teacher, explaining the situation, and asking if I can do some supplementary work to make up for that day. Teachers are, usually, comprehensive. But if that’s not the case and your fail the subject because you are not feeling well to go to class or you are overwhelmed about the subject and it is making your anxiety going crazy and you end up failing that subject it-is-okay. IT IS OKAY. The world doesn’t end. Your health should always come in first place. Don’t make yourself miserable attempting to pass a subject when you are in no condition to do so. I failed four subjects last year and end up wasting the entire year because of my anxiety and I had to retake it this year. And I’m glad I did that. This year I feel better and because of that I achieved better results and last year is just a fading memory now. So, please, take care of yourself. Watch the signals, go to the doctor, go to therapy if you can afford it (I know there is some universities with free-therapy programs so look at it) and don’t feel guilty if it has an effect on your grades because you did the best your health allows you to do. And that’s a lot. 

Allow yourself to do “nothing”: This tip helps me fight procrastination. When I have to do something I’ll start worrying about it since I wake up. So I’m like “okay, I’ll start this thing in five minutes. After this episode ends. I’ll make a cup of tea and then start studying”. Obviously, I never study after saying such things. So, allow yourself time where you say: “Okay. I have to do this, but right now I’m gonna enjoy some time without thinking about it but then I’ll start at this time”. Often we found ourselves thinking that we have to do something all the time, that we need to be productive every single moment, but that’s is not true. You don’t need to constantly feel pressured to do stuff, so erase those thoughts from your mind, and stick to a timetable where you can enjoy some time for yourself without worrying about your obligations. 

Think about what do you want to do after university: Don’t be afraid of the future and keep in mind what goals do you want to achieve and choose things that will help you to achieve them. Find scholarships or ask the teacher who is doing exactly your dream job how to achieve it.