MY FIRST YEAR AT HUDDERSFIELD UNIVERSITY

ANDREW SMITH

My first year at Huddersfield University is over and it has been a very interesting and eventful year for me and I have learnt a lot.

Before I do go any further I will say that the learning experience at Huddersfield University has been amazing and the support I have received from the lecturers and support staff has been outstanding and without it I doubt if I would have completed my first year at university.

I have learnt a lot, not just about the subject I am studying sociology but about myself more than anything. I believe that I have the intelligence and skill set required to succeed at university and beyond, yet I do have problems with self-belief and confidence. It is this more than anything else that could prevent me from succeeding and self-destructing. Hopefully over the summer break I can give this some much needed thought on my part and instil in myself the self-belief I will need to get me through the next two years of university.

Reading appropriate academic material is another area where I need to vastly improve in order to obtain better grades. This will also improve my referencing as this has let me down enormously this year and this area more than any other is the one I need to improve in.

By doing this I believe I will resolve several issues at once including the problem of self-belief and lack of confidence.

Another problem area I have identified is time. All too often this year I have made miscalculations in how much time to devote to my studies, how much I can get accomplished in any given time period and when I need to get my work in for. I do have problems with the concept of time and very often time just passes me by without me actually realising it.

Because of this over the summer I need to read more about study skills and writing academically in order to prepare myself better for my second year at university.

The only issue I have myself with the teaching is of some disparity in the some of the grades I have received. However I shall be investigating this further myself and ensuring that the marks I receive are broadly consistent with all tutors.

All in all it has been a very enjoyable and interesting year and I am looking forward to my second year at university immensely.