ok, 1st year at uni..how many hours did you manage to work??

sugarcultsweetie

I think MissPop does have a valid point - however as a uni student straight out of college, I think that the "it's only your first year" attitude is far more prevalent in 18 year olds handed a generous loan, their own flat, and unlimited freedom. By no means am I saying that everyone who goes straight into higher education from school puts getting hammered as their first priority, but I do think that attitude and dedication is more important in the first year than hours available to study - if you have plenty of free time and just don't bother, then all the hours in the world won't help.

My point being that, mature students with children will most likely be willing sacrifice the student nights out - if they are willing to really work hard for money and a degree simultaneously, they may be more likely to graduate than someone who fell into uni after A levels.

That being said, I do definitely think that individuals shouldn't burn themselves out, and there is a line to be drawn between making the most of your time and actually making the most of uni.

MissPop

sugarcultsweetie wrote: »

I think MissPop does have a valid point - however as a uni student straight out of college, I think that the "it's only your first year" attitude is far more prevalent in 18 year olds handed a generous loan, their own flat, and unlimited freedom. By no means am I saying that everyone who goes straight into higher education from school puts getting hammered as their first priority, but I do think that attitude and dedication is more important in the first year than hours available to study - if you have plenty of free time and just don't bother, then all the hours in the world won't help.

My point being that, mature students with children will most likely be willing sacrifice the student nights out - if they are willing to really work hard for money and a degree simultaneously, they may be more likely to graduate than someone who fell into uni after A levels.

That being said, I do definitely think that individuals shouldn't burn themselves out, and there is a line to be drawn between making the most of your time and actually making the most of uni.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with several points there. There will always be students who go to uni for a good time, but there are equally students who go to do the best they can. Not to say those students don't have a fun time and let their hair down, but they focus their attentions on studying. I maintain that focusing on uni should come first, and a job should come after. You've (generally speaking) only got one chance at any given degree, so you should make the most of it and put 100% into it. Reap what you sow an' all that.

costaerer

my husband is a mature student starting uni in sept. he has to take a week off mid term for his sisters wedding abroad (obviously something we cannot avoid) and he is petrified about missing work and falling behind. he also works 30 hours a week, every night 5-10 and sunday 12-10. thats the only way he can support himself through uni and college!

MissPop

costaerer wrote: »

my husband is a mature student starting uni in sept. he has to take a week off mid term for his sisters wedding abroad (obviously something we cannot avoid) and he is petrified about missing work and falling behind. he also works 30 hours a week, every night 5-10 and sunday 12-10. thats the only way he can support himself through uni and college!

I'm sure if he gives his lecturers/coursemates plenty of notice, they can provide copies of their notes or something (obviously depending on the subject!) AFAIK, most lecturers put Powerpoints, notes and summaries on Moodle for students who have missed lectures

LaurenM9

It all depends on your timetable really. Mine last year was pretty full compared with other peoples and i did 16 hours easily but then i didn't have many other comittments apart from going to a dance class twice a week and going out. I would try doing how ever many hours you're capable of doing first and then assess your situation after 2 weeks and see if you're coping.

Raquela

this depends hugely on your course I think. No-one apart from me worked during their first year, and most others only worked during the summer vacation.

In first and final years of uni, and I did a law degree, I worked roughly 12 hours each week. However, my work was on campus, so I didn't have any travelling time, and the work was easy (in the first job I actually could do uni work at the job when the phones were quiet). In each I did shifts of 4 hours, so it wasn't too taxing. I think that's key really. And I didn't always go to lectures, but always made sure I went to tutorials/seminars and that I was well prepared. Lectures are generally optional, however, I have to say, the lectures I did go to I learnt a lot more, than the ones I just read through the notes for. It reinforces things more; therefore if you can afford the time to go to the lectures, do.

Having said that, in first year, I had a terrible lecturer for one part of the course, and it simply wasn't worth my while attending her lectures. I studied the subject myself using her powerpoints and the textbook, and actually got my highest mark in that exam out of all my four years of uni exams. Point being, if the lecturer isn't very good, teach yourself what is required.

My uni didn't have many mature students, and one thing I noticed was the fact that the majority of students, especially in first year, did the bare minimum of studying until revision time, when they went overboard. One of my friends literally did nothing at all other than go to lectures and make notes. Given the amount of time wasted by them, if you timetabled yourself closely, you may find it possible to work 30 hours and do full time study.

The unfortunate fact is, some of us have to work very very hard for our 2.1s, others can coast and still get a 2.1. All my friends bar one managed a 2.1. None bar me worked very hard. And I was at a top university.

JoRowlingRocks

Personally, I worked 12-16 hours a week and I was pretty knackered because of it! It depends how well you want to do in your degree- I know someone who basically worked full time during her 4th year but she seemed to have gone off her degree somewhat and came out with a 2:2. Evidently, the more time you spend working, the less effort you can put into uni work. I think you just need to find the right balance; get a job where you can work flexible hours and experiment! There is the advantage of 1st year not counting towards your final mark and the workload being lighter!

auburnette

Be careful. It is so easy to work too much. I worked full time in the holidays (Xmas, easter and summer), then anywhere between 20-30 hours in term time in first year. Second year was about 20 hours a week and it was still too much. My contact hours were around 4-5 hours of classes, then another 10 or so of lectures - but I ended up not going to most of the lectures. I also avoided writing most of the assigned essays, which wasn't ideal. I was in London and having to completely self-fund on top of student loan - and considering that student loan doesn't even cover yearly rent in London, I didn't exactly have much of a choice.

In third year, I worked much less and struggled much more with money; bounced rent once and had to eBay half my stuff. That wasn't ideal either but at least it allowed me to study. I hate struggling with money so working seemed like the better option, but in practice it did impact on my ability to study effectively. Third year was the only year I really felt engaged with my degree, and the only year where I did the reading and went to lectures etc.

Ultimately it didn't affect my degree classification - I scraped a first - but I know that it did affect my performance and I still wonder what I could have done if I hadn't spent all that time bored out of my brains in some retail back office. And it could have very easily hurt my grades more than it did. I was lucky, ultimately.

My advice: work hard in the holidays (except Easter if you're revising), earn as much as you possibly can then, and then drop it down to no more than 15 hours per week. Otherwise it can and it will affect your ability to engage with the course, and the point of university is not to spend it working in some menial job. Of course I understand that sometimes there is no choice.

joeizz

Althought you are expected to put in a lot of hours realistically very few people reach the numbers they expect. My maths degree had 18 hours of lectures/seminars a week and assignments to do outside of that which would range from 1-10 hours worth of work. As long as you revise well before exams you will be fine.

clarksonwayne

I will be doing 27.5 hours a week and traveling between 1-2 hours to Uni. Add Gym, sunday football, house upkeep etc.. to that and i think im going to be very busy. Still cannot wait!