Advice to new students starting at Leeds ISC
Ana, who studied Business, Law and Social Sciences in 2022/23, gives advice for new students starting at Leeds International Study Centre.
I chose to be a part of Leeds ISC out of fear. Fear of not passing directly into the university degree I decided on; fear of being out on the University campus without knowing anyone; fear of not being prepared and not having enough knowledge to start the first year at the University.
I saw in Leeds ISC an opportunity that would allow me to acquire the knowledge I needed to study the degree I wanted. It gave me an opportunity to feel at ease about being afraid. I felt as if I had found something that would only benefit me, and it turns out that it did.
Throughout this experience, I had a goal and a routine. This helped me complete my daily tasks. Being consistent and rigorous with my routine was crucial for me to have a good performance in class and in my life outside of LISC. Many people I met, intelligent as they were, had no routine, and it got in their way. They didn’t have the same experience I had because they were not putting serious effort into their studies.
The truth is that most of my advice requires the abilities of self-evaluation, self-knowledge, and self-control.
There are three things that I found are crucial for my life:
- maturity
- consistency
- determination
Maturity
You need to have the knowledge that the process of getting into university is not the same as high school, so you need to be mature and understand that some things will not go always as you would like them to go, but as they need to happen in order for the process to fit the rules. Once you understand that, your mindset in terms of finding problems and complaining will differ from your peers, and you will have a better experience during your studies.
Consistency
Secondly, you need to be consistent. I know that this looks like some cliche advice, but from personal experience, if you really are consistent in everything you do, it will have a positive outcome. There are obviously days when you will not feel like getting up, studying, working out, cleaning the house… But those are the days when it is most important that you get up and do what you don’t want to do. This will make you more prepared for life in general because let’s be honest, a lot of our life sums up to us doing things we wished we were not doing. Doing those things anyway means you are mature and consistent, and it makes people see you differently. Being consistent makes you more respectable and reliable, and trust me, this opens many doors for your future.
There is a saying that I heard once, and I take it with me everywhere I go and it says something along the lines of “You only find true freedom in doing the things you don’t want to do; because if you only do what you want, then you are a slave to your own desire.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember where I heard it, but read it and gave it a thought, it might help.
Determination
Setting a goal and going at it until you reach it is admirable. To be honest I am getting better at it myself. I oftentimes find myself starting something and pausing it to finish it later, or not finishing it altogether, but I am adamant about changing that, and I am trying more and more to be more determined. I have learned that setting small goals is important. My advice here is to focus on daily wins, so the exercise you did today, the homework you completed, and the dishes you washed, are daily goals you can set yourself, and they can change every day. In the long term, they will help you achieve your bigger goal.
This is my advice to you, from student to student. I hope this can help you see Leeds ISC as a great opportunity for your growth. Leeds ISC helped me make friends faster, it brought me close to amazing tutors and staff members that I know I can count on, and it made me more mature in terms of subject knowledge and readiness to progress to the University.
My most important advice of all is that you don’t take this opportunity for granted!
