“What’s the difference between work at school and university?” is an important question that crops up time after time. Having found the jump from GCSE to A-Level rather traumatic, I’m glad to say that the move from sixth form to university wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.
The great thing about university study is that you can tailor your course to suit your interests, choosing modules that interest you, rather than having to follow a set curriculum as you do in school. Trust me, writing essays is a whole lot easier when you’re genuinely interested in what you’re talking about!
One important thing to consider is that you’ll be expected to take a much more active role in managing your studies. This means checking when your classes are, being in the right place at the right time every week and setting aside time to prepare reading or essays. This is because lecturers expect you to organise yourself, and will not be constantly reminding you to come to class or hand in work. Don’t worry though! Keeping on top of timetables and deadlines can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you tend to settle into a routine rather quickly. Just make sure to buy a good academic diary, so that you can keep track of homework and any looming due dates.
The main thing to remember is that everything is manageable as long as you’re organised. Master that and you’ll be able to enjoy all that uni life has to offer.