After two (or three) long years of university education, it all comes down to this final year. They say it’s going to be the most difficult yet with your dissertation, your graduation and all of the tid-bits between. But is it really all that difficult? Here are some of the best ways to prepare for your final year at university.
Understand what you need to achieve
When discussing how to best prepare for your final year at university, one third-year university student said: “Don’t be over ambitious [with your dissertation]. Do what is required to get the grade, but no more. It can be a big part of your grade, but it is just a grade. You have other work to be doing.” Achieving a strong first in your dissertation is great, but neglecting your other exams and coursework may drastically affect your overall grade. That being said, your grades do not define you.
While the pressure of achieving academically is high, 58% of employers value work experience over grades or the name of your university. In fact, some graduate schemes in specific industries don’t always require 2.1. Taking opportunities to volunteer, network and gain work experience are important to your life after university. So define your goals: what grade do you want to achieve? What skills or knowledge do you want to learn or develop before graduation? Do you have any ideas on what you want to do after graduation? Not all of these need to be answered now. However, having clear goals on your future can help you prepare for your final year at university.
Think about your dissertation now
I may hear a groan or two from you but it will save yourself from stress in the long run. Your dissertation will be the biggest part of your third year. (Unless you don’t have one. If you don’t, then breathe, and send luck to those who unfortunately have to bear the suffering of completing one). The best thing to do, according to most third-year students, is to prepare as soon as you can.
Most tend to write about what they are interested in – “Choose a topic that you’re 100% happy you can work with.” – but there are multiple ways of approaching your dissertation. Some students say to start as early as this summer, “…Little and often so you don’t get overwhelmed with other things you need to submit.” However, a worker reflected on their dissertation planning during their university years, “Thinking and planning is all good but if you start drafting too early you may end up rewriting chunks of it.”
On a general basis, how you approach your dissertation depends on how you work best. For me, I found that writing my research proposal was much easier when I had some prior knowledge of the topic and when I enjoyed rambling about it to anyone who would listen. So I’ll be starting early this summer… at least with ideas on what to talk about.
Figure out your schedule
Schedules are easier said than done with how chaotic third year can be. But when you prepare for your final year at university, at least organise your time. Knowing what needs to be done and when it needs to be done can help immensely. Throughout university, I used Notion to keep notes of lectures, seminars, articles, extracurriculars and interview prep. Their calendar function also helped keep me up to date with deadlines. The workspace is simple to use and easy to decorate with functional Notion widgets.
The best way to figure out your schedule is to know when your lectures are and what they contain. A phD student reflected on how they chose which lectures were worth attending as an undergraduate: “Professors will mention important stuff during the lectures which are not in the lecture slides. Bad lecturers will read off their slides word for word, in which case, it is a huge waste of time attending these lectures… If you know attending a lecture provides no value to you, then don’t go [if the lecture is recorded].” This isn’t to say skip every lecture because you find them boring. Attendance is important to develop knowledge but trust your instincts.
“Breathe. You’ve done well.”
Everything comes down to the final year. But this is your final year. When you think about it, you’ve done a good job regardless of what happens because you’ve stayed for this long. Many students end up dropping out of university in their second and third years, with research suggesting that mental health is the biggest factor for this. That being said, self care is so important when you prepare for your final year at university. Give yourself a chance to wind down and enjoy your final year.
You can do many things to take care of yourself. Some ideas for self-care include nature walks, sweet treats and sleeping the full eight hours (not staying up late cramming in essays). These are things you can do with friends too! “It’s important to spend time with your friends in the last year of university,” said a graduate. “Especially when everyone will be doing different things after graduating.” How you prepare for your final year at university should be prepared around the experience you want. As long as you organise yourself around studies, the world is your oyster.
