A little while ago, we asked students at the end of their for year of study to give us their top tips and here they are (if you’ve got more add them to comments):

“FEEDBACK: What’s the 5 top things a new student should know?”

1. Jade,:

   Need to know about Ed on Facebook!

2. Tegan, Said:

   For me as an off campus distance student it would to write out when everything is due and plan your time. A wall Planner or dairy will be your best friend, so you can see what you need to do both for uni and for personal life.

3. Steve, aid:

   I’m an external student too and I’ll second what Tegan said, especially if you have a lot of assessments for that semester.
   To that I’d add, get your first year subjects out of the way first. Even though a lot of subjects don’t have pre-requisites and you can do them early in your studies, doing the first year subjects early will still help with your second and third year subjects. Statistics (if you’re doing science) is a perfect example. The last thing you want to be doing (like me) is stressing out about whether or not you passed chemistry in the final semester of your degree.
   Also, don’t leave it until the beginning of the semester to get your textbooks. A lot of subjects use the text instead of a study guide, you’ll get left behind if you’re waiting for two or three weeks because the bookshop ran out. The required text is usually listed in the courses and units catalogue when you chose your subjects, so there’s no excuse.

4. Jane-Anne, Said:

   * Whereever possible – pick topics that you have an interest in. It’ll make the topics more interesting, so you will want to get your study done and generally will do better.

   * Take some time to get acquainted with the library and/or library homepage. The library is the biggest resource at UNE.

5. Lynnette, Said:

   For older off campus students (like me)
   * Read the unit handbook and text book thoroughly, highlighting where necessary. Sticky paper tabswith notes on them are essential. Make copious notes.
   * Organise your time so that study has a place and do not be distracted by other things.
   * Participate in the on-line discussions with other students in your unit.
   * Ask questions if you don’t understand something.
   * Improve your word processing skills. An essay in my last unit required so advanced formatting, so a good word processing book is an essential.

6. Priscilla, Said:

   I’d highly recommend tUNEup from Home through the ASO – especially for anyone who hasn’t studied for quite a while. I did it at the end of my second year and it would have been great to do at the beginning of my studies as a kick-start to get back into writing essays etc again.

   Also this blog is great for info – thanks guys. And for people that use Google reader or similar, then subscribe to this blog and get the updates in your reader.

   Explore the uni website – there is so much information available.

   Like Lynette said, get involved with the discussions online. Also look at all the settings that are available in Blackboard so that reading the discussions is easier too.

   Register for results via SMS so that you don’t have to keep checking your email the day that results are due or can’t access your email.

7. Krystal, Said:

   As someone who spent their first year as a bright eyed 18yr old on college campus: don’t spend all your money on booze. It’s fun to be living away from your parents but remeber – uni, and rent and bills all have deadlines.

8. Danial, Said:

   For me,

   The biggest thing is that lecturers often don’t remind you that you have assignments due so a wall planner, calender or Microsoft Outlook will be your best friend.

   Spend some time at the start of the semester planning out all your due dates so you can see when your “busy periods” (our lives as students are always busy) will be so you know those are the times when you REALLY need to get busy. You will also get better at guessing how long each assignment will take you, and spacing out this work over a week or so so that you aren’t trying to do 2000 words in 2days.

   The other thing for me is lecturers don’t bite, most of them like when you get help and will often willingly offer it to you if you go and see them. Ask for help if you need it, ask for extensions if you really need it, a quickly written assignment will often be poor quality.

9. Amanda, Said:

   5 things I wish I had known before I started:

   1. It was not clear to me what the difference between the Student Centre and Student Assist were. I spent a lot of time wandering around confused about where I should go for help.

   2. I wish I had sat down and planned out my course right at the beginning. I think it is important to work out which units you want to do later on so that you can get the pre-requisites all sorted. Of course, it is always good to go with your gut and whatever you think sounds the most interesting but being more organised really helps.

   3. If you live at college, participate in as many events as you can. There is no point in living at college and not enjoying it. Just make sure to set aside time to study as well. Maintaining a balance is really important. Just don’t spend all of your time stuck in your room studying.

   4. Get involved with the New England Award as soon as you can. It took me a long time to ever realise what it was. The earlier you start, the more likely it is that you will gain enough points before you graduate.

   5. Before buying your textbooks, check to see if they have what you are looking for either online or at the second hand bookstore. Sometimes you can find an older edition for half the price and there are only a few minor differences, so you can get by without having to spend a fortune.

10. Caroline Said:

    Before I started wish i’d known:

    1. To download ALL the information from the UNE site for EACH UNIT so that I am NOT at the mercy of my ISP or ITD in the event the system goes down. (Because study continues whether or not the systems are working and you can’t use it as an excuse!!!)
    2. ASO site – VITAL !
    3. About Faculty Advisors.
    4. How to contact Lecturers.
    5. The New England Award.

11. Jack, Said:

    1. Make sure you check the availability of your textbooks in the library – and figure out how much you’ll actually need them. For some units, you can get by by borrowing the book and with the course notes.

    2. Get to know your lecturers. Introduce yourself, shake a hand, occasionally chat to them about the subject you’re doing (I mean, you’re interested, right?). This really helps, as many lecturers are willing to spend a little extra time re-explaining material to a student they know, and if it comes up that you need an extension, you don’t have to introduce yourself by asking for one.

    3. Make sure you have a good handle on Blackboard. Spend a few hours getting a grip on how it all works.

    4. Don’t go into lectures unprepared if you’re doing a difficult, material-heavy unit. The lectures aren’t going to teach you everything. Spend a little time reading up beforehand, so you get the point the lecturer’s making, rather than trying to puzzle out the material.

    5. When buying textbooks, check out sites like Better World Books and Abebooks. You can generally pick up a copy of your textbook (a few editions old) for ~$10-15. For most subjects, you don’t need the latest edition, and it’s not worth paying $120+ for a book you’ll only use once.

12. Jade, Said:

    http://www.booko.com.au – the best website for comparing textbook prices. Have saved hundreds using this site!

13. kate, Said:

    Here’s what I think:
    1. Get involved, either as part of a college or group to extend your contacts.
    2. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you’re struggling. Tutors and lecturers are very approachable and want to help.
    3. The NEA to gain recognition for volunteer work, sport etc.
    4. Write down when everything is due in one place e.g. dairy, wall planner and prioritise so things get done on time.
    5. Know the requirements of your degree. Not much good getting to final semester and realising you still have work experience to complete or anything else that could’ve been sorted since 1st semester.
    Thats my thoughts.

14. Michelle C, Said:

    1.Definitely the tUNEup course. I did it after struggling to understand what was required and then found I was able to work with so much less stress after.

    2. Text Books: my lecturer recommended the EBL- the electronic book library accessible online via the library. This was invaluable as I had access to recent, very expensive books. The fact that they were digital allowed me to quickly search them and find exactly what I needed rather than get books posted then find it was not relevant.

    3. I joined a local uni library under the Caval system and as an external student, UNE will sent me back half the joining fee. I then studied there, rather than at home all the time, if I wasn’t concentrating. I had access to Monash Legal library who sent books to the campus which was closer, often the same day or next day.

    4. If you are external: go to your local Uni or one that is big enough, hang out, enjoy the cafes, libraries and bookshops. Get the spirit of your journey by connecting with others!

15. Michelle C, Said:

    5. Be proud of your small achievements and have a laugh when you are trying to post online whilst cooking dinner for kids and press enter when you had more to say! lol

16. James Driver, Said:

    Know how to reference

17. Sonia, Said:

    I wish I had known that……

    1. Television, children, work, cooking and cleaning are a huge distraction to what you NEED to do which is study…… Stop/store all of it until the semester is over!!!!

    2. It is important to get phone numbers of nice people you meet in the discussion posts, so that you can phone them at 30 minutes before midnight when your exam is due and you are unsure if you have approached it correctly, before you hit the SUBMIT button.

    3. To be organised get a big set of Expedit bookshelves from IKEA, before the files books and paperwork spread from one end of your house to the other, invading everything from your car to your bed to your bathroom.

    4. Eat slowly – Don’t choke on a chicken bone 5 minutes before exam commences – Having to do the unthinkable to dislodge it with a room full of people metres away is highly embarassing and more than a little unsettling.

    5. So long as you do each assignment, referring back to the requirements every step of the way, you will get a great result.

    6. Everything is a crisis that is there to stop you from focussing – it is far too easy to procrastinate and defer doing study and prep by justifying that the “crisis” needs to be attended to first before you can get focussed – what a load of ^&%$*^ we tell ourselves. You end up having dealt with neither.

    7. Productivity levels amazingly SOAR about 24 hours before assignments are due.

    I wonder what I learn in my second semester 

18. Sonia, Said:

    p.s. I haven’t yet mastered my math so 5 = 7 

19. Leigh Said:

    Be strategic with your approach to each unit – a one size fits all approach is NOT the way to go. I try to keep the whole thing simple and I very rarely make copious notes (I find that time consuming and not always productive).

    When I get my unit guide I read it to work out what I want to get from the unit, the areas I want to specialise in (if I get the choice) and how the unit is to be assessed. I then work out the best approach for that individual unit. For example, if the unit is to be assessed by essay I focus on the readings that I need to answer the essay questions I have chosen to tackle and what further research I want to do. I do not make extensive notes as I read, but rather highlight ONLY those bits that I will need to answer the essay question. I try to develop an essay structure as I read. If I have open book exams I do not make notes but rather focus on making a quick reference index. If the final exam is multiple choice I revise the textbook/readings many times and make notes ONLY of those things which I know I shall not recall easily and then use them to study.

20. LQ,  Said:

    1. UNE allows for great flexibility with their unit selections but most units are only offered biannually. Plan your course from the beginning.
    2. Get to know your lecturer and speak to them regularly. They are more than happy to help students who are willing to ask for help (be it in person, over the phone or via email).
    3. Download the referencing guides from the ASO site and keep them nearby during assignment writing time. If you’re used to APA referencing which most metropolitan Queensland universities use (like I am), Harvard style seems a little backward…
    4. Download all your online learning materials and keep a back-up copy. Blackboard and Sakai are prone to crashing.
    5. Budget – your time, your life, your money. All are equally important and all can distract you from your study if things start going wrong.

21. Kayla, Said:

    As an external student

    1. How to manage time
    2. How to contact lecturers (and who to contact when the lecturers don’t contact you back)
    3. That you can still borrow to UNE! and that the library staff can send you copies of chapters of books! (didn’t learn this until 1/2 way through second year!)
    4. That blackboard is your friend!
    5. don’t rely on the internet!

22. Bob, Said:

    As an external student with no idea of uni format I wish I’d kwown:
    1.How to pick units that eased my way into uni
    2.How to get help i.e.someone to talk to other than a computor
    3.To plan my study time better
    4.That lecturers are approachable and in most cases will help
    5.How to study effectively

23. Mayaz, Said:

    I agree with the people that have already said this. Just comparing enrollment from other places to here, if we could have some sort of time line sent out telling us exactly what needs to be done in short simple steps. Also, a little handbook with a summary of each subject in a course would be handy. At the moment I’m digging around trying to find all the information I need.

    Just what I’ve been used to with other places. I’m sure I’ll manage here though 

24. connie, Said:

    As a student studying Music internally, I have a few tips for new 1st Year Music students.

    - Plan, plan PLAN!!! At the start of the semester, glean all the information you can from Blackboard, the Unit Information and your lecturers about what is to be expected of you, and what you need to know about how the unit works/ when assignments are due and the like.
    Then write up all the due dates of every assignment for every unit on a wall planner, in a diary etc. It becomes easier to manage when you can see exactly where you need to be focusing on.
    For performance class (this is a subject all first years need to take), make sure you finalise the pieces you will perform at the end-of-semester recital/exam as early as possible (in the first 2 weeks of semester), then you can concentrate on learning them and polishing them and you won’t be stressed out when it comes to the week before. It’s hard to get good grades in performance if you’ve been stressing highly about it (it shows in your performance).

    - Get to know your lecturers really well. The beauty of studying music at UNE is that you have small classes so you have a greater chance of more face-to-face teaching then if you were studying a different discipline. The lecturers are one of the greatest resources you have and are only too happy to offer their help whether it be you’re stuck on an assignment question, don’t know how to use the website, or you just want to chat. I regularly spend time chatting with my lecturers.

    - Get to know Blackboard/Sakai really well. It takes time to work out, as each unit uses a different setup, but it’s really worthwhile. There’s a wealth of information stored there.

    - Get involved in concerts and events. It’s so much fun and so rewarding to perform at or even organise your own event.

    - Learning to balance life/work/uni is always tough, but you can do it. You need to prioritise, you really shouldn’t be going out with your friends if you have an assignment due that evening for instance. Likewise, you shouldn’t shut yourself up studying all the time, it’s not healthy and you will start to resent studying because it’ll feel like you have to do it. Schedule in some time with your friends, family, and remember to balance work with pleasure.

    - Have fun!! Music is supposed to be enjoyed by everyone and the more you enjoy it, the easier it is to study. 

25. Jennifer, Said:

    The one most important tip I can give as a distance student, is don’t let the work creep up on you! You have to be twice as organised with your assessments and readings than you would if you were actually attending uni, because you don’t have tutorials and lectures to encourage you to read and think about the subject material. Sit down at the start of the semester and figure out exactly what is due when, what needs to be read or learnt for each assignment and figure out when you’re going to fit it in. I had to drop 2 subjects before the census date this semester because I left it until Week 4 to look at my subject requirements!!!

26. Fiona,  Said:

    * Participate in online discussions, and use the discussion board within each subject, there are many others out there in the same boat as you, if you put yourself out there you will be surprised at how many respond.

    * The library will photocopy free of charge whole chapters from book and journals and post them out to you, so if you do your research for assignments early you can take advantage of this awesome service, saved me a packet in photocopying (only applies to external students)

    *Learn how to use metasearch through the library website – ask a staff member to help you when you are up for a res school. Didn’t pick up this particular skill until my 3rd year and it made research a hell of a lot quicker and easier.

    *Make yourself known to your lecturers, they are here to help and will respond to your concerns either in person, email or phone.

    *If you are travelling to Armidale from a distance there are a few ways to get there, fly (most expensive), catch train from Sydney (longest), hire car from sydney (cheap but long) or make a friend that travels up at the same time as you (most fun)

27. SJR, Said:
    For textbooks, also check the Textbook Exchange at Student VIPhttp://www.studentvip.com.au

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