If you’re feeling unsure about getting started with your first university classes, here are five quick things to consider.

University is not like high school

One cool thing about uni is that there will probably be a big range of people in your course, with vastly different backgrounds and experiences. What that means - at least in my experience - is that there is way less judgement. Some people are coming from zero base knowledge in the area, others will have more so - and that’s totally okay. We’re all learning.

Uni is also unlike high school insofar as you’re not necessarily stuck with the same people for every single class for six years straight (though the concept of a ‘cohort’ admittedly changes a little from degree to degree). You’re also not so confined by bell times, or regular school periods. Instead, you can come and go with more freedom, and your on-campus classes are just one part of that. If the worst does eventuate, and you don’t like your class, the teaching period isn’t as long as a high school year to get through. There’s a lot more flexibility.

You can do things to prepare

It’s totally understandable to feel unsure before a new class. I’m dozens of units into my university life, and I still feel a bit nervous before walking into a new tutorial or workshop. It makes sense, too - new people, new environment, new content.

But there are some practical things you can do to take more control, and limit the number of uncertainties. Things like finding the location of your class before the day can help by taking away one more thing you have to think about. There’s plenty of time for stuff like this through O-Week, or otherwise before the semester begins.

Otherwise, it’s important to stay on top of your class preparation. One of the worst feelings at uni is walking into a class feeling behind or unprepared, so it’s best to avoid this as much as you can. It’s a bit of a domino effect - if you haven’t watched your lectures or done your readings before going to class, you probably won’t contribute as much, meaning you might not get as much out of the class as you might have, meaning you need to catch up, meaning you don’t get your next readings done etc. It’s a hard cycle to break.

The first class will probably be the hardest

Everything is new at the start of the teaching period. For that reason, there’s more to deal with in your first class than in subsequent classes. If your experience is like mine, you’ll probably find that classes get easier as the teaching period progresses, even if the content becomes more challenging.

University staff have been in your shoes

A lot of uni lecturers and tutors have studied recently, or are studying currently. They know what it’s like to start new classes, and start university more broadly. In your first year of undergraduate studies, you’ll probably be eased into everything in your first week or two, and basically everybody will be in the same boat.

Uni staff want the best for their students, so be open with them if something isn’t making sense. At worst, they’ll probably be able to refer you to a relevant part of the university to get the assistance you’re looking for.

New things can be exciting!

The reality is that starting something new can be tough, but it can also be really exciting. University is a new opportunity. There will be differences to high school, and there will be new people, and there will be new processes - but it would be boring if that weren’t the case!