First-Time Students, Check These Sites for Help Adjusting to University Life

September 12, 2023

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First-Time Students, Check These Sites for Help Adjusting to University Life — We explore some online resources that can help first-time students adjust to university life.

As Arab universities begin a new academic year begins, many first-time students are making the difficult transition to a new educational environment.

Al-Fanar Media has been looking at some useful websites and other resources with advice that can help first-time students gain confidence, as well as academic and life skills. Here is a sampling.

Prospects: Set Your Goals Early

Prospects, a U.K.-based career and higher education recruitment consultancy, wants to help students start qualifying for the job market from their first day at university. Having career goals from early on helps you organise your steps and set priorities before you even start your university studies, the company believes.

The website has sections with tips on things to do before starting your first year at university, all the way through to job-search advice and study and training opportunities to keep you learning after graduation. Although the site focuses on students in the United Kingdom, its content can be useful tips for university students of different nationalities.

Lifehacker: Get Things Done

Lifehacker bills itself as a site that helps you “get things done in the most clever, unexpected and efficient ways.”

While Lifehacker is a general “how-to” site with articles arranged under categories like food, technology, health and money, it includes many articles that first-time students will find useful. These include articles with advice on topics like “Bad Study Habits You Should Avoid (and What to Do Instead)”, “The Best Ways to Take Notes so You Actually Remember Information”, and “Why Cramming for a Test Doesn’t Work, According to Science”.

EdX: Free Courses to Boost Your Skills

If you want help in building skills in a particular subject, you can probably find a free course for it on EdX. The platform, which was established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University in 2012, carries thousands of courses that are taught by professors at universities around the world, as well as experts at corporations and nonprofit organisations. It offers courses on subjects as varied as programming in various computer languages, the basics of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Arabic for non-Arabic speakers, and sustainable fashion design, to name just a few.

If you need help in a particular subject, you can probably find a course for it on EdX or another online course platform. The choices are almost limitless: computer programming, artificial intelligence, Arabic for non-Arabic speakers, and sustainable fashion design, to name just a few.

EdX is not the only place to look for free courses. Other major providers of online courses include Coursera and Udacity, both companies founded by professors at Stanford University, and FutureLearn, which is jointly owned by The Open University, in the United Kingdom, and SEEK, an Australian online employment marketplace.

Many other companies and organisations also put courses online, including some that are taught in Arabic. For an overview of some of the most prominent international and Arab educational platforms, see Al-Fanar Media’s “Guide to Top Platforms for Online Courses”.

StudentRecipes: Eating Well on a Student Budget

University life is often the first time students have had to be responsible for feeding themselves. The British website StudentRecipes offers over 4,000 recipes for healthy snacks and quick and easy meals that students on the go can prepare themselves.

The site has a section for vegetarians and recipes for foods from cultures around the world. It also has a blog with articles aimed at helping students adjust to university life in general. Recent posts include “How to Make Your Dorm Feel More Like Home”, “11 Life Tips for College Students”, and “Going to University? Advice for Fresher’s”.

WebMD: Information about Your Health

The website WebMD provides information about health and health services, with the aim of helping people make their own lives better and find their way when faced with healthcare decisions.

While the site is addressed toward people of all ages, much of its content will be of interest to university students. Topics it has addressed in news articles and commentaries include “What to Know About Depression in College Students”, “For College Students, Yes, Sleep Matters”, and “Eating Disorders in Teenagers on the Rise”.

One of the site’s most popular tools is its online “Symptom Checker,” which asks users to enter data about their age, gender, and symptoms, then suggests possible conditions that may be causing the symptoms. WebMD cautions that the tool is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment. It advises people who think they may have a medical emergency to immediately call their doctor or dial the local emergency services number (911 in the United States).

More Tips for New University Students

Many academic experts, wellness organisations, and self-help authors offer advice to help new university students adjust to their new educational environment. Check Al-Fanar Media’s Tips & Resources section for articles based on these experts’ advice. Following are a few additional suggestions.

Manage your energy. Managing your energy is more important than managing your time if you want to accomplish more at school or on the job, some experts say. Energy-management skills can help you accomplish the tasks required without feeling excessive pressure or wasting time.

Talk to older students and learn from their experiences. Older peers who already know the ropes are likely to have helpful insights if you are running into difficulties adjusting to the study system or to university life in general.

Create a budget. Setting a budget, whether for a month, a semester, or an academic year, will help you avoid stress over money matters. A budget will allow you to make sure your fixed expenses are covered and hopefully let you set some money aside for unexpected expenses, or just for fun. You could use your savings to enjoy some entertainment, like going to a concert or the cinema, for a beneficial change from your academic routine.

Learn from older students. First-time students can learn a lot by talking to older students and learning from their experiences. Older peers who already know the ropes can offer helpful insights if you are running into difficulties adjusting to the study system or to university life in general. Joining a club, team, or some other extracurricular activity is a good way to meet potential mentors. Studies have shown that participating in extracurricular activities can also help you gain many other benefits, such as building skills that will help you in your life and career after graduation.

Talk to Your Academic Advisor. Your academic advisor is probably the most important person you will have to help guide you through your university years. Academic advisors do more than help you choose a major and stay on track toward graduation. They can help you find opportunities you might never discover on your own and help you avoid mistakes that could set back your academic progress. Do not hesitate to ask your advisor for help if you run into difficulties with your studies; it’s their job to smooth your educational path until you successfully graduate.

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