Preparing for a strong final year

Entering your third and final year of university can leave you with mixed emotions. You’re just a year away from completing your degree and starting out in the professional world, leaving behind your student lifestyle and forging a career and promising future for yourself. You might feel nervous, excited, scared, or even relieved that it’s almost over – but how do you deal with everything third year throws at you?

To help you prepare for the final year of university, we’ve put together some final year uni tips to help you navigate the tricky waters of completing your degree.

How Do I Prepare for My Final Year of University? 

Third year comes with a lot of pressure, but it doesn’t have to be as scary as it seems. Sure, you’re staring down the barrel of writing a dissertation and entering adulthood very soon, but with the right preparation, you can sail through.

If you have been relaxed this far in your academic journey, now is definitely the time to start getting things done. Third year grades hold more weight than second- and first-year grades, meaning they can very much be the deciding factor in the class of degree you end up with. This is a chance to redeem yourself and claw back a good grade, so don’t waste it.

Prepare Early & focus on your priorities before Final year

Firstly, make sure you prepare nice and early. Figure out what you want your dissertation or final project to be on and research the topic as much as you can before you start your academic year. The last thing you want is to get halfway through the year and realise your subject matter holds no weight. Prepare in advance.

One of the first things you should do at university is set out your main priorities. Now, this may be breaking the ice with your new flatmates, creating a new friend group or delving headfirst into studying. Setting your priorities is essential for university life.

As time goes by, you will change your priorities, an example may be at the very beginning your priority may be to create a new friendship group. But over time you will shift your study as the main priority. After all, that is the main reason why you go to university.

Create a Plan and Manage Your Time 

Next, come up with a workable plan of action. Your timetable will likely be much lighter in third year, making it easier for you to divide your time. Divide your time accordingly between working, socialising and studying. Make sure you carve out time for seeing your friends; whilst it’s an important academic year, it’s also your last year as a student, so embrace it!

Know Who You Want to Work With 

If you need to collaborate on work, think of who you know you work well with. Choosing the wrong people could mean all the work gets left to the last minute. This can seriously impact your final projects and your overall grade. Choose teammates wisely.

Assign a specific task to do for each study period. Having a clear idea of what you are doing can help take the stress away. Assigning specific things to do in your break times can help manage the stress that comes from feeling you have so much to do and so little time to do it all. Scheduling a break for checking emails, for making calls, for making lunch etc. This way you still get all your ‘life admin’ done alongside getting that all important dissertation done.

Talk to Your Tutor 

Your tutor is there to help you, so make use of them. Ask them all the questions, no matter how silly they may seem. This will give you a good understanding of what they’re looking for from your work so that you can stay on course to get the grades you want. This is one of the final year uni tips few take on board, but it can make all the difference.

Choose Your Accommodation Wisely 

Student accommodation can be noisy, so try and find a flat or house in a quieter area with other final year students to avoid distractions. There is nothing worse than trying to write your final dissertation with a party going on next door! 

Free writing in your Final year:

Experiencing writer’s block and feeling that you are not progressing as you would like to can be a huge trigger for stress. With free writing, you write whatever comes to mind on a topic without stopping to censor or make corrections.

Do this for a while until you feel yourself in the flow and then…keep going! You will probably have a lot of useful material from your free writing time that you can go back and tidy up later.

Best things to eat/drink during studying:

Fruit – gives you a sugar boost so better than chocolate

Vegetables – Dark leafy greens like chard, kale, broccoli or spinach. Vital source of vitamins packed with vitamin K

Eggs – Versatile, fried, boiled. Poached or scrambled. Great source of B12

Peanut Butter – full of healthy fats and lots of protein. Mix it in with your porridge

Fish – Salmon, sardines and mackerel provide lots of protein and omega 3 which helps keep the brains functioning better.

Green Tea – goof alternative to high-caffeine drinks. Provides antioxidants as well as boosting your concentration.

Think About Life After University

Your final year will be over before you know it, so it’s a good idea to start thinking ahead. Try and get work experience and explore what jobs might be available to you once you graduate. This will make actually leaving uni seem far less daunting and scary.

Get Further Advice and Support

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