Have a life outside university
Good news! It would not be wise to spend all your time at university studying. Not only would that be extremely unhealthy, employers would not be impressed. They will be looking for evidence that you have had a life while at university - that you've had some employment experience, that you've had some outside interests, maybe had some position of responsibility, perhaps travelled or spent a semester or even a year taking advantage of the option to take part of your degree outside the UK, joined new clubs or societies...the opportunities are almost limitless! It's all of this that will make you into the kind of graduate that employers will be competing to recruit. So what does that mean for your time at university?
- Plan your time so that you have a mixture of study, employment and leisure. Many students do work throughout the year but it's important to make sure that you still leave plenty of time for your studies - and time for enjoyment and relaxation.
- The Careers Service can help you to find part-time, temporary and vacation work, once you start your course.
- Take advantage of at least some of what university provides outwith study - join a new club or society, take up a new sport, become a student rep on a staff/student committee, do some voluntary work, investigate the possibility of studying abroad....
- Do some thinking about the skills you're gaining from all these experiences - degree, employment, travel, leisure activities... If you take some time even occasionally to record this in a personal file, you'll be building up very useful material for your career decisions later on - and reminding yourself of all the evidence you've got for CVs, applications and interviews.
- Further useful information for prospective international students who want to work whilst studying.