First-Year Uni Study Tips: How to Study at University

The most important first-year uni study tip is this: most of your learning happens outside class, and nobody will check that you're doing it. Set a weekly routine for each subject, read every course outline in the first week, put every due date into one calendar, and keep up with lectures and tutorials so you never have to learn six weeks of content at once. The rest of this guide shows you how, with a sample week, an assessment planner and the support services most first-years don't know exist.

It's written with Australian unis in mind (census dates, special consideration, O-Week), but the advice works at any university or college.

How is studying at uni different from high school?

The biggest change isn't the difficulty of the content. It's who's in charge. At school, teachers chase you. At uni, you can skip a month of lectures and no one will notice until the exam.

None of this is bad. It means freedom. But freedom without a plan usually turns into week 7 panic.

What's the difference between lectures and tutorials?

Lectures

Lectures are where the main content is presented, usually to a large group. Many are recorded. Here's how to get the most out of them:

• Preview the slides. Five minutes skimming the slides before the lecture means you know what's coming and can focus on understanding instead of copying.
• Take notes in your own words. Don't transcribe. Note the main ideas, examples and anything the lecturer emphasises. For methods that work, see how to take notes.
• Review within a day. Spend 15 to 20 minutes the next day writing what you remember from memory, then checking your notes. That's active recall, and it's the difference between watching a lecture and learning from it.
• Treat recordings like real classes. If you watch recorded lectures, schedule them at a fixed time each week. Recordings pile up fast.

A word on speeding up recordings: it can help if you're reviewing, but on a first watch it's easy to fool yourself that you've understood. If you speed up, pause to write down the main points.

Tutorials, labs and workshops

Tutorials are smaller classes where you apply the lecture content: discussing readings, solving problems, working through cases or doing lab work.

• Do the preparation. Most tutorials set questions or readings. Students who arrive prepared get far more out of the hour.
• Speak up. Asking a question in a tutorial is normal, and your tutor would much rather answer it in week 3 than see the misunderstanding in your exam.
• Note what you got wrong. Tutorial problems are often the best indicator of what's examined.
• Attend even when it's not marked. Tutorials are where you find out whether you understand the content before it costs you marks.

How many hours should you study per week at uni?

A common rule of thumb is around 10 to 12 hours of total work per subject per week, including your classes. Your course outline will often state the expected workload, so check it.

For a full-time load of four subjects, that might look like:

If you're working part-time, that matters. It's very common, but be realistic. If you're working long hours, consider whether a lighter load would give you better results.

What should a weekly uni study routine look like?

The simplest system is a weekly cycle for each subject:

1. Prepare: skim the slides or reading before the lecture.
2. Attend: go to (or watch) the lecture and take notes.
3. Review: within a day, recall the main points from memory and fill gaps.
4. Practise: do the tutorial questions or problem set before the tutorial.
5. Consolidate: at the end of the week, write a short summary or a set of flashcards.

Here's what a full week can look like for a first-year with four subjects and a part-time job:

Use the gaps between classes. An hour between a lecture and a tutorial is perfect for reviewing the lecture while it's fresh. Those gaps add up to several hours a week.

To build your own week, follow how to make a study timetable.

Why should you read every course outline in week 1?

Your course outline (sometimes called a unit guide or subject outline) tells you exactly what's assessed, when it's due, how it's weighted and what's expected. Most first-year deadline disasters happen because a student didn't read it.

In week 1:

1. Read every course outline from start to finish.
2. Put every assessment due date, exam period and quiz into one calendar.
3. Add a start date for each assessment, one to three weeks before it's due depending on size.
4. Note your uni's census date for the term. In Australia, that's usually the last day to drop a subject without it counting towards your fees or your record. Check the exact rules at your uni.
5. Find the extension and special consideration policies, so you know what to do if you're sick.

Then make an assessment overview for the term:

Seeing everything in one table shows you the crunch weeks ahead of time, so you can start early instead of finding out the week everything's due.

How do you handle uni assignments?

• Unpack the task. Read the question, the marking rubric and any instructions. Highlight the directive words and the criteria that carry the most marks.
• Break it into steps. Research, plan, draft, revise, reference, submit. Give each step a date.
• Start earlier than you think. Most assignments take longer than students expect.
• Learn your referencing style. Your library will have a guide for the style your course uses.
• Understand academic integrity. Learn what counts as plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating at your uni, and check the rules on using AI tools for each subject, because they can differ between courses.
• Use feedback. Read the comments on every marked assignment and apply them to the next one.

How should you study for uni exams?

The same principles that work at school work at uni, at a larger scale. Test yourself instead of rereading, space your review over weeks, and practise the kind of questions you'll be asked. If your course provides past papers or practice exams, use them under timed conditions.

Start exam revision several weeks before the exam period, and treat your weekly review sessions as the foundation. If you've kept up through the term, exam revision is review. If you haven't, it's learning everything at once. The full method is in how to study for exams.

How do you make the most of the uni library?

The library is far more than a building with books.

• Librarians: they can help you find sources, use databases and get your referencing right. Many unis have subject librarians for each faculty.
• Databases: your uni gives you access to journals and databases you'd otherwise pay for. Learn how to search the ones your field uses.
• Study spaces: quiet floors, group rooms you can book and spaces open late around exam time.
• Learning skills support: many unis have advisers who help with academic writing, maths, study skills and time management, often free.
• Guides: referencing guides, research guides and workshops are usually on the library website.

Studying in the library also helps you separate study from home. When you're there, you work. When you leave, you're done.

Are study groups useful at uni?

Studying with classmates can make a hard subject much easier, and it's a good way to meet people in first year. The useful groups:

• quiz each other on lecture content
• compare approaches to problem sets (without copying, which may breach academic integrity rules for assessed work)
• explain concepts to each other
• set a time, a place and a goal for each session

Many Australian unis also run free peer-assisted study sessions for first-year subjects, led by students who did well in the course. They're worth trying, especially for subjects you find hard.

If you want to set one up yourself, read how to start a study group.

How do you manage your time at uni?

• Plan your week every Sunday. Fifteen minutes to look at what's due and block study time.
• Use the gaps. Time between classes is study time.
• Protect your study hours from work. If you have a job, give your manager your class timetable and try to keep your best study times free.
• Watch for drift. If you notice you haven't touched a subject in a week, schedule it tomorrow before it becomes three weeks.
• Keep your phone away while you work. Uni gives you long stretches of unstructured time, which is exactly when scrolling eats hours.

If you find yourself putting off starting, how to stop procrastinating on studying has practical fixes.

How do you look after yourself in first year?

First year is a big change: new people, new places, often a new city or living away from home for the first time. Looking after yourself is part of doing well.

• Sleep and eat regularly. Irregular sleep and skipped meals make everything harder.
• Find your people. Join a club or society in O-Week or later. Friends make uni better and give you study partners.
• Move. Walk between classes, use the uni gym, play a social sport.
• Use the support services. Unis have counselling, health services, disability support, financial help and more, usually free for students.
• Ask for help early. If you're struggling with your mood, stress or anxiety, talk to your uni's counselling service, a GP or a service like Headspace.

How to do this in StudyDork

StudyDork is a free iPhone app for studying with friends, with features that suit uni study.

• A clan for your course: start a study clan with people from your tutorial or degree. You can see who's focusing, chat with the group and study together in the clan's room, which helps when no one else is checking in. See studying with friends.
• Subjects for each unit: add each subject (free and unlimited) and pick one before each session to log hours against it.
• Calendar locking: StudyDork connects to Google Calendar and Apple Calendar. With Pro, Auto-Lock Calendar can start a focus session and block your apps when a study block in your calendar begins, with a heads-up 10 minutes before.
• Pomodoro for library days: the free timer runs 20 minute focus blocks with 5 minute breaks, and Pro adds longer splits such as 50/10.

Make week 1 count

You don't have to have uni figured out on day one. Start with three things this week: read every course outline, put every due date into one calendar, and review each lecture within a day of it happening. Those habits on their own will put you ahead of a lot of first-years. Build from there, ask for help when you need it, and remember that everyone around you is working it out too.