Education Evergreen

Is Your First Year Of University Really That Important?

university classroom
Written by Simi Gupta

University is one of the many important aspects of your life. In fact, university has been recognised as one of the most enjoyable experiences of your life. Most degrees are three-years long and, usually, the first year doesn’t count towards the overall classification. This fact gives some students the impression that they can take it lightly and don’t need to make a real effort in their first year.

This is definitely a false impression which causes many students to do badly in their first year and, consequently, lose out on making the most of this all-important 1/3 of their time spent at university.  The joy of starting university is a mesmerising experience. To some students, it is a massive eye-opener. If students are moving away from home, they’ll be experiencing newly-found freedom which could possibly prevent student from realising some of the aspirations they had when starting university in the first place.

But would you like to know why your first year is so important? Here are some reasons as to why you should make the most of your first year at uni:

1. Transcripts

When applying for graduate jobs, employers want to see your transcripts.  Once they receive them, the first grade they’ll most likely look at is from your first year (as it will appear on top). Remember, first impressions count, even on paper.

2. Insight Days and Vacation Schemes

When applying for insight days or an undergraduate scheme that a firm is offering, they state a particular grade that the student must’ve gained in their first year. I remember seeing this on the Deloitte’s careers website, indicating that students need to have obtained a 2.1 in the first year of their degree.

[ALSO SEE: Graduate Jobs Deadline Calendar]

3. Motivation

Achieving the absolute best in your first year will motivate you in doing better in the remaining years of your degree. It has a personal element to it. It would provide students with a beneficial insight on how it feels to be studying a degree and, therefore, gets you into the zone for future success.

4. Usefulness

Just because the first year doesn’t count towards the final grade classification, that doesn’t mean student are not learning anything useful in that year. In fact, students should see it as an important year because they’re learning all the basics of their degree; and without the base they won’t be able to build up on that.

From the looks of it, it does seem pretty much common sense to put a lot of effort in your first year and not ignore it, just because it doesn’t seem important enough. It isn’t rocket science. The main element to remember is to help yourself to prevent situations from getting harder in the future. Have the right balance, understand where you’d like to get to, and you should be able to swing through university comfortably and effectively.

About the author

Simi Gupta

An aspiring lawyer and fitness geek , studying at the University of Hertfordshire, who also takes pride in helping others to make a difference.