Your first day
Find out how to prepare before you leave home, what to take to class, what to expect at your first lecture, and what to do between classes.
Plan your travel
Know where your classes are
Pack your essentials
- Food and drink, or money to buy them.
- Your mobile phone (charged).
- Your Student ID card.
Prepare for your lecture
Complete any reading for your lectures if you have been asked to.
Once your classes begin, you will find out what you need to take to each class.
To start with, make sure you have:
- Paper.
- A few pens.
- A highlighter.
- Your Student ID card.
- A calculator if you think you may need one.
Mobile phones are allowed in class but must be silenced.
Arrive early
Expect your lecture to be in a large theatre or auditorium with up to a few hundred students. Arrive at your lecture five minutes before the hour (or 25 minutes after the hour at Tamaki Campus). If there is another lecture going on in the room, be ready for a mass exit of students before you can go in.
Talk to your classmates
Find a seat and introduce yourself to the people beside you. This is the easiest time to meet other students because you are all new and want to meet people.
Prepare for the lecture
Get out some paper and pens and turn your mobile phone off.
Listen to your lecturer
Your lecture will start at five minutes past the hour (or 35 minutes past the hour at Tamaki Campus). The lecturer will introduce themselves and give you information about what will happen over the next 50 minutes.
Take notes
You may be given hard copy handouts of notes or told to access them on CECIL after the lecture. You should always be prepared to take your own notes.
Be organised
It’s also a good idea to work out a system for organising and summarising the information you learn for each class. It makes it easier when it comes time to complete an assignment or prepare for exams.
After each lecture you should:
- Re-read your notes.
- Identify anything you don’t understand.
- Use the resources available to master the information. There are quiet places to work in the libraries and information commons.
You may want to re-write or sort your notes so they will be easier to use for assignments and exams.Try explaining the content of the lecture out loud to reinforce the information and identify parts you need to review.
Complete any readings before the next lecture, to help you:
- Understand the lecture.
- Write good notes.
- Focus on areas you find difficult.
The pressure increases as soon as you are given assignments, so try to master these skills early on.
Here are some more ideas:
- Join a club
- Go to one of the libraries, Information Commons or computer labs to find a place to study
- Complete your DELNA screening
- Enrol in a course with Student Learning
- Visit the Recreation Centre
- Hire a locker
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