Students are often rather put off by the term ‘Renaissance’, yet surprised to find themselves becoming fans of Elizabeth I and enjoying Renaissance literature in spite of the language… Stick with it guys. I don’t know who told you that … Read More
Lecturers do not usually tell students they’re plain ‘wrong’ unless they really are barking up the wrong tree, in which case they need to be told so that they can get back on track. Lecturers are not divine so cannot … Read More
‘I don’t really know what’s relevant – I just get lost and the set texts don’t help because they’re too complicated’. There are two issues here: you find the set texts difficult to read and you’re not sure how to … Read More
‘I’m hitting a text wall – I read a page over and over and the words just swim in front of me – nothing goes in.’ Sounds like you’re having to mark too many exam scripts :-). If you’re a … Read More
This one is for those of you who like bullet points to break text down. 🙂 Ways to make using journals easier: Ask your tutor if s/he can recommend journal articles. Use the index!! Journals usually have a table of … Read More
Journals are excellent sources for up to date research but on a practical level they are usually highly specialised, with a natural focus on research rather than teaching and are written with academics rather than students in mind. The language … Read More
Many first year students are starting to panic a bit now that the glow of the welcome parties has faded a bit and they’re faced with what seems like mountains of work. Take a breath. Seriously. You’ve only been at … Read More
I’m tempted to say “Man up and get on with it” but that’s not very helpful. 🙂 There are 2 kinds of texts: primary texts are the ones you’re studying and you should be reading the whole thing unless told … Read More
Why wouldn’t you? They are the best place to gain information on what the course requires and to get help to do well in your assessments. No-one’s going to arrest you for not attending (although some courses do have minimum … Read More
Lecturers generally hope that students will have read at least a good portion of the text because if they know nothing about it then they won’t understand a lecture on it, let alone be able to discuss it at a … Read More
‘My lecturer is staring at me – it freaks me out’. It’s highly doubtful that your lecturer is a looking at individual students during a lecture. We tend to focus on content, time-keeping, generally keeping an eye on the mass … Read More
Focusing for 50 minutes (most lectures are approx 50 minutes’ long) is difficult at first but it is good to train yourself to be able to concentrate and note-taking is a really useful skill. Please remember that the lecturer is … Read More
Students often feel nervous about entering a lecture theatre and there is a natural tendency to sit at the back. Sitting at the back gives you the reassuring feeling that the lecturer won’t notice you because you’re as far away … Read More
What if I decide university isn’t for me? Part 1 Please please give it a really good go. Attend the lectures and seminars, get to know other students, talk to your tutors and anyone else who can give you support. … Read More
This is the first of a series of posts designed to help you as you go to university for the first time. Freshers’ or Induction Week is most students’ introduction to University. Most people anticipate a fun-filled week of partying, … Read More
Before the exam: Go to revision sessions! Read information about the exam on notice boards / course documentation. Check if there are restrictions on which writers or texts you can write on, for example. In the exam: Read the rubric … Read More
Which question should I do first? This is crucial: if you’re doing an exam with more than 1 essay, do the essay you expect to do best first. Do not leave the best to last! There are exceptions to this … Read More
This is probably the thing that has always worried my students most: seeing an exam paper and feeling that all the questions are impossible. First the bad news: there will probably be questions that you feel you can’t do (and … Read More