A variety of adjustments are needed to adapt to the university environment. These involve a number of areas including academic, cultural, and social. Some students expect an environment similar to what they experienced in high school, but in reality it is completely different. Some students can struggle to successfully adapt.

The first adjustment is coping with a higher level of academic rigour. Material is covered more quickly and in greater depth. In later years, depending on the course, there is often an emphasis on critical thinking and original thought. Simply repeating the material covered in lectures isn’t enough. Academic integrity is also a big focus. Behaviour that it is possible to get away with at high school, such as copying your friends’ assignment, can lead to serious consequences if detected.

The second adjustment is that learning is mostly self-directed. Lectures race through material. Students need to learn the material themselves from the resources supplied and other sources they may seek out. Most learning occurs outside the classroom. Without spending extra time reviewing, it will be difficult or impossible to learn all the material. In addition, there is nobody that will police whether you attend class, study the materials, or submit your assignments. Rather than a fairly regimented high school schedule with a bell telling you it is time to go to class, it is up to you to manage your schedule. Nobody follows up if you don’t attend, meaning greater personal responsibility is required. Some students struggle with this newfound freedom and end up neglecting their studies.

A third adjustment is the limited number of contact hours per course/unit, in some cases as little as three hours per week. This might create the illusion that you have plenty of spare time, but universities have an expectation that for every contact hour you will spend two or more hours studying by yourself. Some difficult courses might require additional hours of self study. This can mean students spending 50 - 60 hours per week on their degree. Developing strategies to manage time and structure learning is often one of the biggest challenges students face.

The fourth adjustment relates to the much larger potential class sizes. Going from a class with 30 or so students with some individual attention to a lecture with hundreds of students and no individual attention can lead to culture shock. In large lecture classes, there are few interactions between instructors and students.

The fifth adjustment is that the culture at university is very different from high school. There are likely more international students and those from different backgrounds. Although some students might come from very multicultural high schools for others, this might be the first time they are exposed to global cultural influences. In addition, some students are living away from home for the first time with less parental involvement in their lives.

The sixth adjustment is that you will have to work much harder to find friends. The way high school is structured facilitates making friends. Students in a given class are mostly of the same age, from the same area, and spend the majority of the day together. Friendships form relatively easily. University is different. There is a wider variety of ages and backgrounds. Attendance at most classes is optional, and the number of students is much larger. Students arrive from all over the city and then disperse quickly after class. Making friends is harder even when students are proactive and join various clubs and societies.

One way to make friends is through living at university run accommodation, but this comes at a huge price premium that not everyone can afford. Despite the difficulties, it is important to try and connect to as many students as you can from the beginning of your studies. It’s not possible to become friends without becoming acquaintances first.

The seventh adjustment is to the lack of interest in teaching from some university staff. High school teachers chose teaching as a profession, so must have had at least some interest in it at some point. In contrast, university academics often took the job in order to pursue their research interests. Teaching was just an unfortunate aspect they would prefer not to deal with. This can mean lecturers and other university staff are often unhelpful, especially with budget cuts meaning they have to shoulder even more non-research activities.

The eighth adjustment is having to work harder to get help from your fellow students. Not all students are willing to help other students. This could be simply because they don’t want other students free-riding off the effort they have put in. In other cases, there might be limited spots in subsequent years, meaning students are in direct competition with each other. This is often the case at New Zealand universities when it comes to health sciences. Huge numbers of students enrol in a common health sciences first year and then compete battle royale style for a relatively small number of places in clinical courses like medicine, dentistry, optometry, or pharmacy.

While some students can be unhelpful, others can be a source of support. The shared experience of being an undergraduate can make them empathetic and helpful. Try to be friendly and network with other students in your course. If you are confused about some aspect of the course, or have other university related issues, they may be able to provide some help and support.

If someone asks you for help, try your best to share information. One thing to be careful of is being too generous with help and inadvertently breaching academic integrity. This can occur by showing an assignment to another student who then directly copies it. Both students then end up getting in trouble for academic misconduct. If another student asks you for help with an assignment, before you do anything understand what the rules are in the situation. Then, if you do want to help, explain in general terms how to solve the problem or give them some hints. Don’t let them copy your completed assignment.

We’ve highlighted some of the big adjustments that are needed when starting university. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have it all figured out at the beginning. Take your time and make use of the available resources.