Give Yourself a Fresh Start

Whether you are in your first or final year, with a new session about to begin it’s time for a fresh start and a chance for you to re-set your approach to university.  With more financial skin in the game than ever before, how can you make the most of your time at university and maximise the return on your investment?

Embrace learning

Don’t forget why you are there in the first place – to learn! This is your opportunity to invest a significant amount of time embracing a subject you enjoy. 

Your time at university will go quickly!  Many students will choose to skip the first couple of classes, which often means missing out on vital background information such as details about assignments and potentially valuable opportunities to meet with fellow classmates.  Getting into the habit of going to every class will set you up for the year. 

‘Just passing’ every subject will earn you a qualification however, the satisfaction of earning high marks are well worth the hard work.  Keeping a high average can also open up opportunities for scholarships and exchange programs.  Consider how much value you could add to a job interview by demonstrating you put in the hard work rather than just ‘scraping by’.

Work experience

Did you know that 4 out of 5 students have a job whilst studying at UTS? 

A number of courses at UTS incorporate internships and industry projects.  Even if you do have work experience as part of your course, you can still broaden your skill set by exploring different areas. 

A casual role such as retail or hospitality can be incredibly successful in developing ‘soft skills’ such as communication, teamwork, time management, problem solving, leadership and the ability to work under pressure: all abilities that employers look for, regardless of the industry.  You can access casual, voluntary, vacation, internship and graduate roles through UTS CareerHub.

Improve your CV

Keep a record of your work experiences, volunteering roles and extra-curricular activities.  Note achievements and outcomes including any positive comments that may have been made by customers, peers or supervisors.  Use this to update your CV or your LinkedIn profile.  Rate My Resume is a great program UTS students have access to that can give you on-the-spot online feedback on your resume, so check it out!

On-campus activities

Get involved in extra-curricular activities.  The social aspect of a university can be complex and connecting at university can be challenging.  Joining a club or society allows you to meet like-minded people, explore a specific area of interest and have fun in the process.  It can also provide an avenue for you to build more than one world by choosing clubs and societies that allow you to meet people who can add to your life and enrich your experiences by engaging with people with different opinions, values and standards.  This is fantastic preparation for life outside of university and entering the workplace.

Short courses and online tutorials

Is there an area you currently struggle with that you can practice in 2019? If you are keen to develop your technical skills or even learn a new topic, there are a huge number of online videos and tutorials available.  Choose an industry skill you may be lacking in and use this year to improve.  Maybe it’s a software program that’s relevant to your industry but you need more practice or some guidance around essay writing, planning your time or even presentation skills.  UTS provides free membership to the online library Lynda.com which offers more the 4000 video courses.

Whatever point you are at in your university career, now is a good time to take advantage of the resources available to you at UTS.  The person who will gain most from these opportunities is you so what are you waiting for? Ready, set, go!

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