A Note to Freshies: From Your Awesome Seniors

Here are a few words of wisdom from your seniors when it comes to handling uni life. Photo Credit: ​Samaritans.org

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Welcome freshies to the next chapter of your life!

Now, you probably felt like Alice when she fell down the hole and stepped into Wonderland, with different kinds of thoughts and emotions running through you.

Instead of chasing after rabbits and having tea parties with the Hatter, you will be rushing to complete tons of assignments, trying to find a good spot to sleep on campus, balancing between your new student life and your social life. Trust me, we seniors know exactly how you feel.

Despite popular belief, all seniors do not hate you. So here is some advice from your seniors that they would like to share with all freshmen to make their university life a tad bit easier, or at least their first year of university.

What to wear?

Yes, it’s true that you have the freedom to dress however you like and people don’t have the right to stop you, nor do they have the right to judge you. However, School of Communication (SOC) student, Vinna Sivanyanam wants to give freshmen a little reminder.

“I know it's your pride, your body and it's your dignity, but when you dressed up for college, please remember that you are going to an institution to get educated. So have some respect for it,” she said.

As a student from School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts (SHTC) Nurlynnie Azzureenie bt. Abdullah, 22, advised freshmen to wear presentable clothes, be themselves and bring a sweater because the lecturer theatres will be cold.

Grades matter but it is so much more than just getting straight A’s

Getting good grades and a high GPA is important but not as much as you think. If you have attained at least a 3.0 GPA, then that’s a good start. Consistency is vital because once you messed up, your grades will roll down the hill and it will be harder to get back up.

“Put in 8 hours a week to study but don’t force yourself to stay up all night because you’re going through your classes and assignments, so what you put in is going to come out for the exams,” said School of Law student, Mohamed Axam Maumoon aka Axam.

He added that if the subject is fully coursework, then make sure you set your priorities straight.

Busy Schedules

As you are in your first year, your schedules won’t be too packed. However, be mindful that as the semesters go by, your schedules are going to be packed as a can of sardines.

“Manage your time properly. If you need to have a timetable, well and fine, make one and stick to it,” said Sivanyanam.

Meanwhile, Axam advised to make sure to get to class on time and don’t go out drinking or clubbing every night. He added that unless you have things to do at night that doesn’t involve you waking up with a hangover, then it’s fine.

Another way to cope with your busy schedules can also be by downloading apps such as ‘Timetable’ or ‘Studious’ that will help to manage your schedules for you.

Sleep? What is that?

Now that you are a university student, sleep will be a luxury that students wish they can afford and it will be a foreign concept to you in future semesters. Either from spending all night finishing your assignments, or going out to party, it will be difficult for you to drag yourself up to go for your morning classes.

Axam advised freshmen to try practicing power naps because they work. However, this is just a temporary measure because you need to eventually sleep or your body will completely shut down.

“Sleep in during the weekends, and make sure to have your phone on silent as nothing is worth getting up at night for,” said Azzureenie.

Respect people’s differences

This is simple. Keep yourself open to new experiences, and never judge others based on their race, looks, skin colour and those that have different opinions from you. Remember that everyone comes from different backgrounds.

“Learn to accept the differences – people are accepting yours too. Understand that you don’t know a single thing about another person, and he or she might be going through things you can never comprehend. Be kind to others,” said Azzureenie.

In addition, Sivanyanam also advised freshmen to respect everyone as only then will individuals go places in life.

Assignment group dynamics

Being in university, you need to realize that you can’t work alone because you will have tons of group assignments. Different people have their own strengths and weaknesses. So you need to make sure that you pick the right people because it will determine the end result of your assignments.

“There’s always going to be someone who does more work, and someone who does less. But never be cocky, listen to your peers and seek their opinions (not approval), and respect each other,” said Azzureenie.

“You have to be able to capitalize on strengths of your teammates. Make sure you are working together instead of forcing them and please do your assignments at least a week before,” said Axam.

Printing made easy

You will realize as you go along in your first year that you have a lot of assignments and lectures that requires printing. There are few ways to tackle this.

“Try Fruni print! It's a printing subscription that enabled you to print unlimited for a fixed amount the whole year! Do make sure that your lecturer needs the notes before printing it; if not, it's fine to just access it electronically as it’s good for the environment too,” said Azzureenie.

“24/7 room, remember that room. Also, go to the Taylor's portal and go to ‘Taylor's and me’ and utilise the Printer on Demand (POD) service instead of going to the library and standing in line for two hours and hating everybody,” said Axam.

You will come to realise that university life is filled with new experiences every day and before you know it, you will be occupied with this new life of yours. Your seniors wish that you enjoy your university life and face every challenge and opportunity that comes your way because when it is over, you will surely miss it.

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