Reading time: two minutes

In September, many students start their new venture into university to study all kinds of different subjects. Preparation before starting a course can help you hit the ground running. I don't just mean buying stationary (although that can most definitely help motivation) but also preparing for the course itself.

The first way to do this is by joining online forums, meeting people on your course and discussing the course content and location. This can prepare you for any issues you encounter in the future as you’ll be able to help and guide each other throughout. It can also be a really quick and easy way to make friends.

The second way to prepare is to ensure you have completed all of the pre-course tasks, such as preparatory reading. This will often be outlined on your university portal and will help you when it comes to your first lectures or seminars. I often read up on the cases associated with the reading so that, when they’re discussed in the lecture, I have a clear idea of what has happened.

You also need to make sure you can easily get to the course location, find out which days you’re in university, which building you’re in and how to access the different rooms. This will relieve the stress of the first day as you’ll know exactly where you're going, which train to get, which building to go to and at what time. If you’re completing the course online, make sure you know how to access your lectures, whether that be on Teams or another platform.

All of this may seem rather self-explanatory but good preparation may be what you need to avoid the stress of the first day. Some people say university is the best time of your life, so the most important thing to do is ensure you take each opportunity given to you and enjoy yourself.