Make university worth it!

Here is how to make the most of it.

By our Co-Founder, Liam-Elio, double graduate of the University of Nottingham for Geography BA (First class) and MRes Sci in Satellite technology. Liam-Elio now works as a technology consultant in London and runs CMD Careers.

Results day for both A levels and GCSE in the UK has come and passed. At CMD Careers, we are really excited to be in the position to meet the new freshers starting their university journey, especially as we are seeing a lot of interest from schools in bridging the gap between school and university.

It's cool to know some of the people we have supported at CMD Careers are now starting their journey into university. Thank you for all the support with growing the platform and spreading awareness of what we do.

For the newcomers, CMD Careers is a platform designed to support students with advice, free CV reviews and one-to-one mentoring.

In this article, our co-founder Liam-Elio discusses his path at university and how to leverage your opportunities both inside and outside the degree.

When I first started at university, it felt like a whole new world had opened up, from the greenery and village houses of my small area to the hustle and bustle of Nottingham and seeing more people in one pub than in the Kettering town centre. I was pulled in by the opportunity, but I understand how students also find it overwhelming.

Below are 5 simple methods to be ready for university and take full advantage of it.

1 - Make an effort to socialise:

This might feel weird and awkward, but everyone is going to uni feeling similar. In the past the advice was to keep your dorm room open as you move in, introduce yourself to neighbours and organise a shopping trip to either Ikea or the closest food shop.

For me, even with Covid hanging over us the Junior Common Room was a good place to be. You've got to meet new people, socialise over games like pool and darts and learn about the other freshers.

If you feel nervous, chances are someone else does too. Be aware of those people and make them feel welcome; this will allow you to feel calmer and focused, too. Many university friends in freshers come and go, so enjoy them, but don't put too much pressure on those first few months.

2 - Embrace that you are smart:

It was not cool to be smart in my state school. It was definitely not cool to be passionate. However, you are paying nearly 50k between the graduate tax system of student loans and the living costs of uni. So if you won't embrace being smart and passionate, you are wasting a huge amount of money and time.

You might get imposter syndrome, you might struggle to adapt to the demands of increasingly independent learning and managing your freedom. The best counter for this is to remind yourself to take university seriously. You are smart, you should be here. You need to make the most of it.

This extends to professors; please network with your professors. The average student at uni is so unengaged that if you come into uni passionate and interested, professors will remember you and open doors for you.

Embrace this place of learning and growth, and embrace that you are smart.

3 - Recognise you are uninformed:

This might seem counter to point 2, but it's really important. You will be forming new opinions and theories and ideas not just about your degree but the world, economics and politics. Leave space to be a lifelong learner, don't become too rigid under one theory or idea. The best experiences I had at uni were when my assumptions about the world were challenged.

University is a melting pot. Embrace diverse opinions and theories, where you can. Alongside your degree, university is about learning to communicate ideas and share them with a variety of people from different cultural, religious, political, national and educational backgrounds.

The second part of this relates to the job market. Don't be too sure you have it figured out. One of the main experiences we get at CMD Careers is having to tell people the career strategy they have created isn't as good as they think. Don't just get your CV checked by a parent or Careers staff member, but also send it to us. There's a lot of nuance and strategy to CVs, and if you assume you know it all already, your CV might end up a lot weaker than it could be.

By recognising you don't know what a professional application looks like, you can figure it out before you graduate. You don't want to be the graduate who, 2 months after uni, is learning to write a CV.

4 - Networking is not a nice-to-have; it is essential:

I despise the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know". It draws a false dichotomy when in reality the best students need to do both.

You must build your visibility by talking to your professors, introducing yourself to your careers team and getting involved in societies. You can then take all this experience and push it onto LinkedIn. Unless you were born into significant social capital, LinkedIn is a game-changer for your career.

Another key benefit of LinkedIn and networking is that you get to practise how you define yourself as a future professional. This is incredibly useful for smashing the "tell me about yourself" question used in grad schemes and provides a solid foundation to any HireVue question.

Last of all, by networking and taking opportunities on you will be directly contributing to the culture of your university. Leadership and society positions like these are well regarded by employers, even at firms as competitive as the Big 4.

5 - Have fun:

It will be hard. People get homesick and miss their family and old life. If you don't travel to uni, you might miss the social element of university and struggle with FOMO.

Give yourself time, aim to be a little better every day and never intentionally go backwards.

If you do that, you'll be fine.

The university experience gets a lot of biased reviews in the news. For many of you, it is likely still your best way forward, and you will develop significantly as you go through university. Both as future professionals but also as young adults.

You get out what you put into it. Especially in an education market that feels more and more stratified.

Aim high and see where you land. Take time to make friends and relax. Enjoy being a student.

You're just freshers right now, it'll be over before you know it.