The Fresher's First 30 Days: A Starter Study Plan for New University Students

<p>Print this or copy it into a note. Tick as you go.</p> <p><strong>Week one</strong></p> <ul> <li>[ ] University email activated and notifications on</li> <li>[ ] VLE signed in, notifications on, module pages bookmarked</li> <li>[ ] Academic calendar photographed, including reading week and exam dates</li> <li>[ ] Deadline register started, with week numbers</li> <li>[ ] Reading list downloaded for every module</li> <li>[ ] Four study blocks in the calendar, same time every week</li> <li>[ ] Sunday review block (60 min) and Sunday catch-up block (2 hrs) in the calendar</li> <li>[ ] Study room identified — on campus or at home</li> <li>[ ] Three names in your phone: lecturer or module leader, admin contact, classmate</li> <li>[ ] Library card active, borrowing record checked</li> </ul> <p><strong>Weeks two to four</strong></p> <ul> <li>[ ] Weekly review run every Sunday (25 min of note cleaning, 60 min of planning)</li> <li>[ ] One question prepared for every session</li> <li>[ ] Office hour attended, or one email sent to a lecturer</li> <li>[ ] Personal tutor booked for a first meeting</li> <li>[ ] Mark schemes and rubrics located for every assessment</li> <li>[ ] Extension process understood, before you need it</li> <li>[ ] Referencing style and reference manager set up</li> <li>[ ] One piece of work marked by a human</li> <li>[ ] Hardship fund, bursary or travel support applied for, if eligible</li> <li>[ ] Free university software accessed instead of bought</li> <li>[ ] GP registered; crisis contacts saved in your phone</li> </ul> <p><strong>End of month one</strong></p> <ul> <li>[ ] Know what every module expects and when it is due</li> <li>[ ] Timetable kept for three consecutive weeks — adjust it down if not</li> <li>[ ] At least one lecturer interaction beyond the classroom</li> <li>[ ] Three classmates' names and two phone numbers</li> <li>[ ] One 500-word piece of writing drafted</li> <li>[ ] Term map made: what happens in each of the next 8 weeks</li> <li>[ ] Month-one check answered honestly</li> </ul> <p><strong>If you only do five things this month</strong></p> <ul> <li>Keep a Sunday review, every week, for four weeks.</li> <li>Read before every session, twenty minutes minimum.</li> <li>Ask one question per session and log it.</li> <li>Build a timetable of 15 hours and defend it.</li> <li>Write something every week, even if it is notes.</li> </ul> <p>If you want more free books, essays and study resources, the free library at [anyfreebook.com](https://anyfreebook.com) is open, and everything there is legally free to read.</p> <blockquote><p>You have 30 days. Build the machine. The work gets easier once the machine runs.</p></blockquote>