The fall semester is starting up and new students are taking their first steps into universities all over the word. In this post I will give you some tips and tricks on how to make the most of your student life.
I will take you through the 3 essential parts:
1) Saving
2) Socializing
3) Studying
The first two are just as important as the last if you plan on finishing your studies.
My experience as a student
I have been studying most of my life and currently I study philosophy at the university of Oslo. I also have a bachelor degree in social science. This semester I'm taking a psychology introduction class and a class in philosophy of science and epistemology. I had planned to take a class in western literature, but when I saw the size of the psycholgy curriculum I had to reconsider. So the first lesson is; do not take more classes than you can handle! Good grades are more important than a lot of unnecessary classes.
1. Saving
Unless you plan on working besides your studies, you will have to learn how to live cheap. If you have a work on the side, do not work more than one day each week, preferably fridays or saturdays. I work at a bread factory 4 days a month and that is all I can handle while still getting top grades. This is a highly individual matter though, but do not underestimate how much time you need for relaxing and caring for your needs. The most important parts of cheap living involves housing, food and activities.
You can save some money on borrowing books at the library instead of buying them, but some classes are very hard and having your own books to write in and have around at all times can be very valuable.
Borrow if you can, Buy if you must.
Housing
Live in a student apartment! It is the cheapest and most convenient way to live as a student. Usually there is free wifi and electricity, and if you're a social person you will be surrounded by other students. If you're not so social, you can still get a student apartment for a decent price where you don't have to share a kitchen or bathroom with other students.
Food
Always eat well, If you can't eat well something is seriously wrong with the society you live in. Make sure you eat nutritious, healthy food each day. Your brain needs a lot of good energy to learn and stay healthy. You can still eat well on a small budget if you follow these tips:
• Make a weekly menu
• Make a shopping list
• Buy your basic goods
• Buy your fresh produce once a week
How to eat:
• Eat regularly
• Eat foods that are not overly processed
• Eat the perfect amount of food, do not eat too much or too little.
• Mostly plant-based food
Healthy eating is 2 days of fish , 2-3 days of vegetarian and 2-3 days of meat.
One portion could easily be two dinners to share with a friend. Do not eat alone every day.
If you're an early morning person, you might have time to make lunch. It is always cheaper and better to prepare your own food. If you're like me and wake up 15 minutes before classes starts, always have bananas. They are cheap and simple breakfasts to take on the run.
Menu suggestions for a week of dinners
Monday: Lentil soup
Tuesday: Fish with potatoes and vegetables
Wednesday: Lentil soup (leftovers)
Thursday: Fish (leftovers)
Friday: Taco with mince
Saturday: Pasta with vegetable sauce and meatballs (rest of the mince)
Sunday: Pancakes with berries.
At Uni there is usually pretty cheap food. So if you are spending your day at the library you are probably going to eat dinner at the cafeteria. That is all well and good, but don't buy unhealthy food. I always choose a lot of vegetables and protein and stay away from useless carbs like rice and pasta. Avoid buying expensive snacks in between meals. Always have nuts in your backpack for snacks and emergency food.
Look for discounts. Many shops have good discounts and you can find good food for little money if you're lucky. But do not buy unhealthy food and snacks just because it is cheap! It is not worth it. Think about how much nutritional value you get for the money. Pasta and rice is cheap but lacks nutrition. Replace it with more useful carbs like potatoes, beans or quinoa.
Activities
You don't have to go to the cinema every weekend or go shopping. Instead look for free activities that is happening on campus. There is student groups for everything: Movies, art, music, gaming, dance, food sport and everything you can imagine. It is a good way to have fun and meet new people at the same time.
If you have an expensive hobby do not quit without any second thoughts though. Try to fit it into your budget if you can. Being happy is the most important part of succeeding with your studies, plan the things you must do around the things you love to do, always make enough time for the activities you love.
2. Socializing
In the first semester you will participate in the introduction week for new students. Meeting so many new people can be scary and awkward but it is worth it. If you get through the first days of childish “get to know each other games” you might find a few other students that you can explore the new student world with. The worst part of introduction week is all the alcohol, but you do not need it to have fun and meet new friends, just relax and show up as your honest self and you will be fine in all situations.
The students in the red T-shirts are there to help you, use them well!
Lack of money and solitude is the most common reasons for depression among students, so make the most of the money you have and make sure to have close friends for comfort and care in hard times.
For those of us who are introverts we should make an effort to get a few close friends that we can trust and feel safe with. Socialising do not have to be a wild night on the town with all your new friends, it could be a quiet night of movies with a good friend. As a student it is very important to learn how to meet your own needs without relying too much on others. Even if you are a confident extrovert who loves to be around people all the time, there will be long hours of studying in solitude and you will have to learn how to deal with your thoughts and emotions alone.
To learn how to fill yourself with peace and wellbeing, you need to learn to accept, enjoy and let go of your own thoughts and emotions as the flow through you. This is best done through relaxing, exercising or meditating. Yoga is the ideal practise for inner peace if you have not done any of this before. I recommend half an hour of relaxed yoga every morning if possible. Then your body will feel loved, cared for and you will have enough energy and peace of mind to start your day.
3. Studying
Like it or not you have to actually study to be a student. The most important things you need to succeed is motivation, good study techniques and discipline.
Motivation
There are 3 types of students:
- Those who study because they love it.
- Those who study for money.
- Those who both love it and try to get a career at the same time.
I belong in the first category and if you study art, literature or philosophy you are probably in that category as well. Our greatest danger is lack of money and opportunity which might leave us a bit desperate and fearful at times but do not despair. Keep studying what you love and somehow it will work out, because it has to!
The second category is in constant danger of quitting because the work is too boring and unsatisfying, but there are dollars at the end of the tunnel so keep working!
The lucky ones in the last category hardly needs any encouragement, they usually have all the motivation and drive they need to stay in school.
Take good notes
Each new semester I promise myself that this time I will take good and organized notes, but I always fail, Writing things down helps you to remember better and helps you practise at formulating your own thoughts. A good tip is to use color codes. Buy some markers with different colors and have one color for each professor, different colors for the different themes in the book and one color for your own thoughts.
Invest in good notebooks, pens and markers.
Disipline
Do not study on the computer, you will be tempted to check Facebook or Steem. Create a quiet, comfortable and organized workspace at home. I find it easier to study in front of a window because I can take reading breaks to look outside and think about what I have just read, this makes my brain process the information easier. Try different approaches to find out what works for you. Some people prefer reading in the library but for me there is too many people there to feel comfortable. You can also take your books outside and find a peaceful spot in the sun.
You have to actually work hard to get good grades at University. If you are averagely intelligent you could flow through college without much actual studying. At Universities it is different, the classes are harder and you have a lot of freedom. If you want to skip classes one day nobody cares, so you need a lot of self discipline and be able to motivate yourself. This is something most people have not learned, so this might take some time. It can help to make good habits and routines and make plans for the day.