I’ve been wanting to write this post for ages – but I didn’t find time. But now here it is!
So basically, I have started Uni in September at University Zurich. Throughout my first semester I have made loads of experiences, which I really want to share with you.
- Preparation for Uni
Uni life doesn’t start the moment you enter the building. It starts when you have to enrole and book your courses. I would recommend you to take your time with this. Think through what you really want to study, check if certain combinations are allowed, and whether you have to have special knowledge to be allowed to study this subject (e.g. Latin certificate), and check what the courses will entail (content wise – but also in terms of: are they a seminar? or a lecture? or both? do you need to write papers or a test throughout the semester? how much credit do I get for the courses?)
Because what you will do next is coming up with a time table. The way I did this, turned out to be the wrong way, really. I though, “well great, I’m gonna put a time table together so that I only have Uni on three days a week and a super long weekend”. Trust me, it’s not a good idea. After half a day you will feel exhausted and unable to follow the lectures or seminars. Additionally, you won’t have time to finish homework straight that evening, or repeat and learn/internalize what you have just heard throughout the day, because you would actually be supposed to prepare for the lectures and seminars the next day. And on those free two days throughout the week, you won’t be as productive as you wish you were.
So my recommendation is for you to book as much as you can in the early mornings. Better you go all week, every morning to uni, than a whole day. Because firstly, you will have the afternoon off to quickly finish homework or write summaries straight away and you still will have something from the day. I would say, go to uni in the mornings, because you will have a fresh mind and brain, ready to fill with information. And honestly, what else would you do if uni started in the afternoon? Right, you would only sleep… if you want to do Uni and work part time, you won’t have the time to waste for sleep, trust me 🙂 #uglytruth Another option if you hate waking up early is booking around lunchtime.
With all of those issues and the course-booking I recommend you to also talk to a friend or someone who’s already studying at the specific Uni. They will know everything and explain things to you. Uni-organisatory-stuff is super complicated in the beginning. So get yourself help!