5 Lessons from my Undergrad Degree
One minute I was walking out of the HSC hall forever. The next? I was on the bus going to university, nervous and without any expectations. I was fresh-faced, wide-eyed and still figuring myself out. My future felt tenuous and uncertain, and I still wasn’t sure if I’d made the right choice with my degree. I was a very small fish in a very, very big pond.
Four years later I’m pleased to say that I survived and have finished my undergraduate degree. It was an absolute blast. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Mathematics and Biology at the University of Sydney and it took me just over three years to finish. It was an incredibly valuable and rewarding time in my young life.
Please note that I recognise how my experience is unique to my background, interests, personality, and university. But, as a self-proclaimed lifelong student and freak for productivity, I’d like to share some of the lessons I learnt over the course of my degree. You may be fresh out of high school like me not very long ago, or a post-doc. Regardless, we’re all students of life, and all occasionally struggle with motivation, productivity, and self-doubt. So, here’s what I’ve learnt and I hope it helps.
1. Step up and work in groups
In the first week of uni, I walked into my first tutorial and there was a bunch of loud know-it-alls already huddled in a group talking. I could hear them discussing Floogutter equations and arguing about quantum pottery (I don’t know, it all sounded gibberish to me!). The rest of us were twiddling our thumbs, in socially distanced seats (pre-COVID) and awkwardly glancing up at each other, waiting for someone to make a move. We were given problems to work through, and it became clear we needed to work together.
My advice: approach another loner and introduce yourself. It’s not easy but you’ll be glad you did. Not only will you be more productive, but challenges are much more enjoyable with your newfound buddies. Having people to bounce your ideas off can illuminate holes in your understanding and deepens learning.
Maths tutorials were really intimidating in my first semester. With a serious case of imposter syndrome, I didn’t feel smart enough to be there. I’d forgotten that we are all in the same class, and therefore the same boat. I was there to learn, not to already know everything!
2. Find your productive hours
Throughout my degree, my days were pretty jam-packed. I was balancing full-time uni, including labs, tutorials and lectures, with my tutoring job. I would be on campus all day, then head straight to the studio for 4 hours of maths tutoring before getting home at 8:30pm. As keen as I was to rest, I still had my quota of homework, study and assignments to get through. I would stay up for another hour or so, struggling through intense coursework until my eyes started to glaze over and my head hit the desk. In hindsight, there was no way I could be productive at that time of night. So I stopped.
As an early riser (getting up around 5-5:30), it’s important that I exercise and get some important to-do’s done before breakfast. By flipping my schedule I could optimise my productivity. Not only am I sharper in the mornings, but there are fewer distractions. No excessive phone buzzing and the house is still quiet.
Starting the day like this also gave me a major sense of accomplishment that pushed me to get through the rest of the day. Reflect on which times of day you are most productive and revolve everything else around it. You’ll get more done and may even enjoy yourself!
3. Prepare early
It’s obvious, but it has to be said. If you have upcoming exams and assignments, plan to have them due at least one week before they’re actually due to submit. You heard me. There’s a reason I never needed an all-nighter or stayed up late for assessments. I finished them all a week ago.
Not only was it reassuring to know you had something ready to submit, but it also gives you the time and space to revisit and edit over the remaining days. This is still an essential part of my writing process. I can bash out 1000 words in a couple of hours if necessary, but I guarantee it won’t be my best work.
I now also apply this to my online writing. I allow myself a day or two after I’ve finished a piece, my ‘cooling-off’ period, for editing and adjustments before I publish. At uni, returning to your work after 24 hours with fresh eyes can be the difference between distinctions and high distinctions.
The other reason it’s wise to have a week buffer is to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. Your computer crashes, the dog eats your homework... you know the drill.
4. Let your failures drive you
I’m just going to come out and say it. Uni is fucking hard. Weeks 1 and 2 feel like smooth sailing, everything is easy and assessments are a tiny speck on the horizon. But then you get to the pointy end of the semester (usually around weeks 8 and 9), and your head is going to explode in T-minus 2 seconds.
You have a whole chapter on vector calculus to learn, on top of memorising the Krebs cycle for the fifth time (thank you Khan Academy!), and a 2000 word lab report to write for that experiment you didn’t understand. Surprise, surprise when you feel overwhelmed and get 2/10 on a topic test about intracellular signalling. True story.
It was devastating. I’d worked so hard, and had (what felt like) nothing to show for it. Am I dumb? Do I deserve to be there?
As awful a feeling as it was, I used this experience to drive future success. Think of it as an opportunity to prove yourself. It’s fuel for the fire in your belly. After that topic test, I worked my butt off and got 10/10 in the next test. It showed me that I am capable, and all I needed to do was adapt my study strategy for that course. It wasn’t the end of the world, and I wasn’t dumb.
5. Be in the moment.
This may seem like a silly one but when you’re flat chat and you put a lot of pressure on yourself it’s easy to wish the time away. My first year was a blur, running from class to class and using every spare moment to finish experiment reports. I used to wish it all away so I could jump straight to semester break and relax on the beach.
In hindsight, I’m sad I wasn’t present and relishing the experience in those early days. I was genuinely interested in what I was learning, but the looming deadline distracted me from indulging my curiosity. Allowing myself to enjoy the process could have yielded greater results because I would’ve engaged more deeply. I also would’ve been less stressed. Realising this in my last couple semesters, I embraced uni and truly enjoyed myself.
So, there we are. Those are some of the big takeaways from my undergraduate degree. There’s so much pressure and it can feel like you’re juggling multiple personalities sometimes, but it really is a wonderful time in your life if you let it be. Looking back, I have so many fond memories and am grateful for all the adventures I had during my degree.
Would you be interested in some more specific study tips from me? As mentioned, I’m a productivity addict and have picked up some hacks when it comes to scheduling, study hacks, and productivity. Let me know in the comments or on Instagram if this is something you’d like me to write about in the future.