Advice for new undergraduates

The University is like a wet sponge. The amount you get out depends on how hard you squeeze.

University is not school. The balance of responsibility shifts to you. Also no ‘sir’/’miss’. First names are the norm.

Learning does not just happen in the lecture theatre. It happens in the seminar rooms. It happens in your own reading and research.

Take notes in lectures. It will really help you. There are lots of different approaches. Find something that works for you, but do it, and be a bit organised with it. It will help you learn a lot more, more easily.

You will get stuck. That is a good thing. Do not worry, but just work systematically through the material, write notes, try things, read error messages, and… ask for help:

Do not be afraid to ask for help. Seek help from your peers, the internet, your class supervisors, and your lecturers when you need it.

Attend everything. Attempt everything. Lectures are recorded but you’ll get more out of them by being present and engaging at the time (see ‘take notes’).

Programming is like swimming. You have to learn it by doing. Practice, practice, practice. Try having a side project of something you are doing (e.g., making a game) that you can practice your skills on.

Beware Generative AI. It is a double edge sword that is very sharp and the handle is hard to grip. It is easy to short-cirtcuit your learning if you are not careful and that will be detrimental to your overall progress.

Find a good group of friends, anywhere in the University.

Learn things outside of the course, from within your discipline, and without.

Use programming to understand maths, e.g., implement some of the ideas, write a program that uses the concepts.

E-mails. The professional world runs on e-mail. The University will communicate to you primarily via e-mail. Setup it up on your phone/laptop with notifications. E-mails have an informative subject, a greeting “Dear Dominic”, use full sentences and standard grammar, and have a sign-off “Regards, Student”.