Starting a Science Degree at University? Here's Some Advice for Week 1

Starting a science degree at university is very exciting! Finally, you will get to delve into your chosen area of science more deeply, and really start to understand how the science relates to the real world.

Beginning this degree can also be quite daunting – there’s so many things you need to remember to complete before and during the semester. Not to mention, beginning university is also an entirely new experience, and it will take some time for you to get into the swing of things.

Don’t fret though – this article will give you some advice for your first week.

Know where your classrooms/lecture theatres are

There is no worse feeling than trying to locate a lecture theatre 5 minutes before it begins, and then realising that you have no idea where you are.

Since science is such a broad field, it is likely that your classrooms are spread out across your entire campus. Therefore, prior to going to class, make sure you have looked at a map and gained an understanding of where everything is located.

If you have some spare time early in the first week, take a wander and try and find your classrooms. Think of this as one large scavenger hunt! Perhaps you can challenge your friends and see who can find a building first.

Have your lab-gear ready

Since you’re doing a science degree, your subjects will likely have practicals (how exciting!!). Most universities will require that you have your own safety gear for them. This includes lab-coats, safety glasses and close-toe shoes.

If you know that you need them, make sure to purchase these items before or during week 1. This means they’ll be ready to go for your first experiment and guarantee stock!

You can purchase them online website, retail stores such as Bunnings, or at your University (if they have a small pop-up shop or similar).

Get an understanding of the assessment structure

There are so many different types of assessment that science subjects include. These can vary from:

Online quizzes
Lab reports
Written assignments
Essays

And so much more!

During week 1, you should have a look at the type of assessments that your subjects will use. Make sure you have access to all the materials/software that you will need to complete them. Perhaps you need to download an external program to do quizzes or have access to a printer to print off assignments.

Assessments don’t usually start until Week 2, after you have learnt enough content to get assessed on. Therefore, it would be beneficial to spend the first week understanding how you need to complete them.

Do I really need to purchase that textbook?

Ah, the age-old question that everyone asks. Well, textbooks are a great tool to use for your studies, as it helps you develop a deeper understanding on certain topics. They might even have practise questions for you to do.

However, the requirement of a textbook will vary from subject to subject. Sometimes its recommended, sometimes it will be compulsory for readings. In most cases, the lecture slides have sufficient information for you. Therefore, ask your lecturers this question in the first week. They will let you know if a textbook is required or not, and you can make a decision after that.

If you’re looking for a cheaper option, consider purchasing digital textbooks.

Talk to people in your tutorials

You will meet a lot of people in university. The first time you will get a chance to talk to people will likely be in a tutorial (small class). Tutorials are a great way to form connections with the other people in your cohort – you will see these people every week for the semester (and perhaps even after that!), so it is worthwhile taking the step to have a chat with them.

Making friends in a tutorial will mean that you have people to discuss the content of the week’s lectures with. You can help each other out, and even work on the tutorial questions with them.

Perhaps you can take it one step further and ask if they would like to form a study group.

Decide your notetaking methods

During the first week, you will start to get an understanding of the pace that your subjects will be travelling at. It is probably a lot quicker than school, so don’t panic if you feel behind after the first week!

However, it is a good idea to get an idea of how you would like to take notes for each of your subjects. There is nothing worse than getting to the final week and realising that you don’t have notes on anything you learnt in the semester. It doesn’t have to stay the same though, and make sure you experiment until you find what works best for you!

For content heavy subjects, typed notes might be easier to manage.
Maths subjects may have ‘fill in the blank’ lecture slides. For this you may have to print off the lecture slides or annotate on a tablet.
Handwriting notes helps you remember things better!

Revise your notes from school

First-year science is very broad. Your lecturers will probably spend the first week revising content that you may have covered in school. If this is the case, reviewing your notes from school before the first week’s lectures will prevent you from feeling lost! You can even use your notes from school as a starting point for your university notes. Hopefully you haven’t thrown them out though!

Explore the social options available

University doesn’t always have to be about studying! Since your first week won’t be as busy, this is a great time to explore the social options that the university offers for students. If you get involved from Week 1, you are more likely to keep going to events throughout the semester.

Here’s some things you can start with:

Join a club. Most universities offer science related clubs. They can be specific to the subjects/majors you’re interested in (i.e. Chemistry Club), or super general (i.e. Science Society).
Join a university sport team. Did you play a sport at school? Or would you like to pick up a new sport?
Try a volunteering activity that your university offers
Go to BBQs, concerts and other events that are on