I can’t ask that question – my tutor will think I’m stupid Then ask me! I may regret this 🙂 but in an effort to find out how to help you all better I’m going to answer the top 5 … Read More
‘Will my lecturer check all my references?’ I have never yet met a lecturer who has the time to check all the references for every essay. Have you any idea how many essays they have to mark? 🙂 Seriously… NB … Read More
My search for advice for students starting University came up with little to do with study, much to do with alcohol, partying etc. While it may be fun to read such stuff it can also stress students out because they … Read More
Student stress is a very real problem, particularly around exam periods. Stress in its chronic form will fatigue students and make it harder for them to learn – it can create ‘brain fog’ 🙂 so everything is more difficult to … Read More
This is a roundup of my most popular posts on exams and how to survive them. I wish you good fortune in your studies! Exam FAQs: Which question should you answer first? How long should an exam essay be? What … Read More
I get some interesting messages on the English Lecturer Facebook page: ‘The poet should prefer probable impossibilities to improbable possibilities.’ Mmm. This requires strong coffee :-). I go to Joyce for a response: ‘Time has branded them and fettered they … Read More
Heathcliff Kills Puppy Yes, he does. Honest. Sorry about that. Why is close reading important? Why can’t I just skim through a book to get the plot basics? If you skim through Wuthering Heights you’ll miss the bit where Heathcliff … 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’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
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
Will I get bullied by other students if they think I’m stupid or if I do well? One of the great things about university is that bullying of the kind so depressingly common in schools is rare. You certainly won’t … 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
You are responsible for getting to class on time. You are responsible for buying and reading course books. You are responsible for taking notes in lectures and seminars (you may be lucky and have a lecturer who provides handouts but … Read More
Everyone else is smarter than me I’m the only one who doesn’t understand this I don’t belong here I’ll never get the hang of this I’m the only one with problems I can’t ask that question – my tutor will … Read More
A seminar is like a larger scale tutorial. You’ll have 1 lecturer and anywhere up to 30 students (sometimes a few more on popular courses). Seminars can take different forms and may include students doing presentations on set topics; lecturers … 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
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
It’s generally easier to go to university straight after school rather than going back to it years later when you have a job and a mortgage but that too is manageable. You do not have to make life or death … 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