Myths about university – what really helps?
For as long as the university has existed, there have been so-called ‘tips’ on the easiest way to get through this stage of life. Unfortunately, alongside genuine tips and tricks, there’s a lot of rubbish doing the rounds: we expect that this year, too, the ‘14 tips for first-year students from a Master’s student’ will end up in all the groups, and we’ll have to debunk them again, because they do more harm than good to your studies. The crossed-out text is the incorrect part of the myth, which we’ve corrected with the text in italics.
Only attend lectures and seminars where you understand the material
It’s not worth investing time in lecturers who simply copy out the lecture notes and rush through the topics.
Even if you don’t fully understand the lecture, it’s still worth attending, because otherwise you’re likely to have forgotten it by the time the exam period comes around, and by then it’s usually too late. Not all lecturers upload their materials or make lecture notes available. Stay on the ball! Try to fill in the gaps in your knowledge as soon as possible. The tutorials are a great place to ask questions – you can find more information on the Course Materials page.
In the first semester, you should not take on too much stick to the macro plan
because you have to get used to the change in system from school to university. Focus on 2–3 core modules. You don’t have to should follow the recommended study plan.
Don’t stress yourself out in the first semester, but don’t go into it with the mindset that “I don’t have to do everything”. Start each semester with the intention of sitting all the recommended exams. If you realise a week before the exam that it’s not going to work out, you can always withdraw from it. The macro-plan is a recommendation and is certainly ‘manageable’; in fact, the lectures are coordinated with one another, and postponing exams often causes problems with your timetable. Take note of your orientation exams, if you have any. You can find information on this on the degree programme page.
Start revising for the exams in good time, ideally as soon as the lectures have begun.
Of course, you should engage with the lecture content throughout the whole semester. However, studying for exams using past papers (although I do this too) is the wrong approach. If you start early enough, you should focus primarily on exercises, presentation practice and extra assignments; only then should you turn to past papers.
If you’re having trouble understanding the material, don’t put it off – fill in the gaps straight away.
Ask your fellow students questions and answer theirs. There are other universities where important pages are torn out of key books in the library so that no one else has an advantage – we’re not that sort of university. Here, we work together.
To fill in the gaps, you have:
good books, the internet and tutors’ consultation hours, where they answer your questions specifically. Go along now, don’t wait until the last minute just before the exam.
But your best source is your fellow students who sat with you in the lecture! If they haven’t got it either, ask the tutors or go to their consultation hours. Have a look online! Only when all else fails is it worth going to the library.
Spread your exams out,
take some on the first sitting and others on the second, as you’ll have plenty of time during the holidays to prepare specifically for your exams.
There’s only one exam sitting at the University of Stuttgart, so this doesn’t apply to you. Also bear in mind that, depending on the exam, you only have a limited number of attempts.
If you’re sitting maths exams: The revision courses run by XY are good. You have plenty of material
They explain the university topics very clearly, and afterwards virtually everyone passes their exam with a good mark. The first 10 hours are free, so you can get to know them.
Yes, there are great resources online. However, these should always be used as a supplement once you’ve finished all the assignments set by your lecturer. If you take on too many extra exercises for the time you have available, you might end up having to resit an exam unnecessarily.
The best way to prepare for any exam is not to also work through the lecture notes, but to work through as many past papers as possible.
Just going through the motions with past papers is completely daft. Yes, use past papers – once you’ve finished the rest. I can tell you from experience that this won’t lead to a good result. More information, including how to get hold of past papers, can be found on the resource page.
Asta The Student Association and a few other student societies stuvus can help with any problems
If you have any questions about course materials, lectures, poor organisation, unfair circumstances or false promises made by lecturers, please feel free to get in touch with us. The contact form is the easiest way.
Only Chuck Norris manages to complete his degree within the standard period of study.
So you’re better off trying to get good marks rather than rushing to complete your Bachelor’s in 6 semesters at any cost. After all, there are plenty of Bachelor’s graduates, and for every advertised vacancy, there are several applicants.
At the University of Stuttgart, the average duration of a Bachelor’s degree is around 8 semesters. However, delays are more often caused by failing major exams rather than by students taking their time. What’s more, students often say that the course is enjoyable.
Don’t forget any deadlines: handing in assignments, registering for exams, etc. Enter these dates into your mobile phone with reminders.
I’d add: find a study group where you can study effectively and remind each other. At the University of Stuttgart, you don’t study alone.
Most people pass their A-levels with ease
At school, when you’ve got an exam coming up, you spend a day preparing for it, and then you’re fine. At university, it’s a different system – in lectures, the topics are briefly touched upon, and you practise a bit in the exercises or tutorials, but to pass the exam, you really need to master EVERYTHING, so allow about 3 to 4 weeks of study time (from morning to evening) per exam.
I don’t think it’s right to generalise and say 3–4 weeks for every exam. There are exams you can prepare for in three days and others that take four weeks. As a general rule, one ECTS credit corresponds to 30 hours of work, but this includes lectures, seminars, presentation sessions and so on, not just exam preparation.
Better to take fewer modules but get a good mark. Register for all your exams and try to sit them as well.
If you study for 5–6 modules and only realise later that there isn’t enough time, it’s already too late, and you find yourself thinking: ‘If only I’d concentrated on just 3 modules, I’d have had more time per module and wouldn’t have spread myself too thin.’ Besides, a good mark is more important than sticking to the standard duration of study.
As you can still withdraw from exams quite at the last minute, I think it’s wrong to advise taking fewer modules. Anyone taking 3 modules instead of 5–6 won’t need 6 semesters but 10. Stick to the macro-plan as best you can; if you realise there’s no point in sitting an exam, postpone it. Bear in mind, however, that most lecture notes aren’t read until a year later, and you’ll then have to study using old materials and (usually) without the lectures.
