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    16 Mistakes To Avoid In Your First Year Of University

    Textbooks are for chumps.

    We asked the BuzzFeed Community what they wish they'd known in their first year of university. Here's some of the best advice:

    1. Don't trust anyone when it comes to group assignments.

    "Document EVERYTHING (who's doing what section, how many meetings you've had, messages from the group etc), so you don't get thrown under the bus with a combined mark. If you know you're having problems, tell your tutor early on and have them mark individually." – Alice Antonov, Facebook

    2. Look after your mental health.

    "There are mental health services on campus, usually with free counselling. They helped me put a plan in place which made it easy to ask for extensions if I was struggling, without having continual awkward conversations with teachers." – Zilla Darling, Facebook

    3. Find a study location that works for you.

    "As much as you'd love to study in the library with a group of friends, that doesn't always lend itself to productivity. The sooner you figure out your ideal settings of productivity, the better off you'll be when you inevitably procrastinate and are forced to finish an assignment at the last minute." – Katie Erickson, Facebook

    4. Find YouTube videos of topics you need to study.

    "I can't focus in class. I zone out and only have a vague idea of what's going on, so I make sure to search the topics we're supposed to know on YouTube when I get home and I swear it helps!" – Lisa Simon, Facebook

    5. Make concise notes.

    "Condense each topic/lecture/week into one A4 page. Using a mind map or brainstorm can be good. That way when you're revising, you only only have to revise 12-14 pages." – Amber Herbert, Facebook

    6. Don't buy textbooks.

    "See if you can find a PDF of them online. If you have to buy them, don't do it at the campus bookstore. Instead look on Amazon or try other bookstores near you. Or go in with someone and split the cost of the books." – whitewoodart

    7. You are not a morning person.

    "Whatever you do, for the love of god, DO NOT take any am classes. You may think you're a morning person, but between having to stay up late the night before to finish homework and being kept up by obnoxiously loud neighbors, you'd be amazed at how easy it is to just sleep through your alarm when you don't have parents yelling at you to get up." – Katherine Starkey, Facebook

    8. You don't have to be a party animal.

    "It's okay to not go to all the parties and to not put yourself in a situation you don't feel comfortable in. I spent a lot of time beating myself up because I didn’t feel like I belonged. When you realize what you makes you happy and what having fun means to you, you get to enjoy everything a lot more." – celestebianca

    9. Find reference management software for doing assignments.

    "Manually writing out references is for rookies!" – a1211024

    10. Look into extracurricular activities.

    "Go to a bunch of club meetings the first time they meet. If you’re even kind of interested in the club, going will help you figure out if you’ll like the atmosphere. You may even end up joining a club you never thought you’d join." – BeccaLion

    11. Talk to your tutor or lecturer if you're struggling.

    "Their job is to help you. There’s always a fear that your teachers won’t be there to help, but 99% of them want you to succeed and will do anything for you." – yorkcatherinegrace

    12. Don't force yourself to stick it out if you hate it.

    "It’s okay to realise that the program you’ve been dreaming about for so long isn’t maybe the right path for you. The things I’m interested in and studying now - I didn’t even know they existed when I was in high school. If you change your path, that’s more than okay. Surround yourself with an amazing support system and no matter what happens, you’ll make it out more than okay." – juliafk2

    13. Force yourself to always do the readings.

    "They're more important than you think. Readings really are the stepping stones to success in every course. It’s hard to balance everything but you should really MAKE THE TIME FOR READINGS." – southozgirl

    14. Don't compare yourself to others.

    "Literally NOBODY has a single fucking idea what they’re doing. Especially the ones who look like they do. Find your peaceful spot, make it yours, find the best coffee, and don’t be so fucking hard on yourself." –amanday4ee0fd7f2

    15. Surround yourself with good people.

    "Just because you get placed with a group of random people in your first year does not mean you have to all be the best of friends and live together the following years. Be true to yourself, toxic friendships will really effect your uni experience." – foxy81

    16. Don't skip class.

    "Please don’t skip class holy fuck it’s too easy to keep doing it. THEY COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DONT SKIP." – raddestdude

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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