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In this section we’ll take a look at what it’s like to study at university, including some of the key modes of teaching and the main differences from how you will have studied previously.
At university there is a greater focus on independent study alongside your formal classes, such as lectures and seminars. You’ll need to read a wide range of sources in order to engage fully in academic debate and you’ll gradually develop your skills in academic reading and critical thinking. Take some time to reflect on your study habits and make sure that you’re aware of all the study tools available to you.
University will feel different from your previous learning in many ways. You’ll recognise a lot about the ways in which you learn and study, but you’ll gradually become more self-directed in your learning - but with lots of support and expertise to guide you.
You’ll notice that the academic year at UK universities is a little different from school and other forms of education. The year begins a little later (but usually still in September) and you’ll have holidays at slightly different times. At York we have a semester structure for the academic year, which comprises two 16-week blocks of teaching and assessment time (as well as a summer semester for postgraduate taught students). There’s a Consolidation Week in the first semester, which is designed as time to pause and reflect on what you’ve learned so far.
A lot of your teaching at university will be delivered as directed study, which covers your formal classes (such as lectures or seminars) as well as activities, practicals and other exercises set by your tutors. An important change in your degree, however, is the focus on independent study. This means undertaking work outside of contact hours and events on your timetable, which might include reading, preparing for lectures, working on projects or presentations, reviewing lecture notes or recordings and writing your assignments. The exact mix will depend on your subject, but whatever your degree you will be expected to be self-motivated in your studies and to learn to manage your time effectively. You also have the opportunity to choose what you write about or explore, rather than always being given a specific question to answer.
Independent study does not mean, however, that you’re on your own. Whilst you decide when, where and how to study, you’re not alone and there is a lot of support available from your department and the wider university. At university you’re part of a learning community, which means contributing your own ideas but also benefiting from the support of your peers and tutors.
A lot of your assignments and projects will be your individual work, but many degrees also require you to work in groups. That might be for informal tasks during a module or a more formal group project which forms part of your assignment, perhaps a group report or presentation. Group projects are an opportunity to develop important skills including teamwork, negotiation and communication, all of which are vital for employability and lifelong learning. There’s a lot of support available for developing groupworking skills, including our guide to online group work tools.
Much of your independent study time will be devoted to reading, and you’ll soon discover that you’re expected to do quite a bit of it! It’s not so common now, but we used to say that you ‘read a degree’, which should suggest from the off that reading is a key activity.
Exactly what and how much you read will depend on your degree and department; you might focus on books, journal articles, even computer code. There’s no end of academic sources at your disposal and through your degree you will learn how to find and select the most relevant and appropriate materials. When you read at university it enables you to engage in academic debates and conversations; reading the theories and research of others allows you to clarify your own ideas and to bring together existing knowledge in new ways.
Most of your modules will have a reading list which highlights the most relevant books, articles and other materials for that module. It might include things which you are expected to read for particular lectures or seminars as well as more general texts to guide your understanding of the module’s key themes. You won’t always be expected to read everything on your reading list; the module leader should explain the format of the list at the beginning of the module, including which items are essential reading.
Items on the reading list have been selected because they are authoritative and reliable, so you’re fine to cite them in your assignments. The list, however, is just a starting point; you can only access higher marks by carrying out further, independent reading and incorporating these materials into your work. Read more about how reading lists work at York.
Academic reading is very different to reading for pleasure; you won’t always need to read word for word, but skim to extract the key information and then read more closely when you need to understand the finer detail. You will develop your own strategies for how to do this effectively and efficiently and this is a skill which you’ll build over time. We have some guidance on different approaches to reading which you might like to explore.
At university you’ll receive teaching in different ways, some of which will be unfamiliar to you. In this section we’ll explore some of the modes of teaching you might encounter, although each department will be different. You should also receive some guidance from your department about any specific expectations for how different teaching methods will work. These modes of teaching are collectively referred to as ‘contact events’, which are your formal, compulsory sessions. Some sessions will require you to register your attendance so that your department can be certain that you’re engaging with your studies and not in need of additional support.
A lecture is an academic presentation which is usually delivered to a large group of students by an academic member of staff. They vary in length but wouldn’t usually be more than two hours long (with a break in the middle). Lectures often take place in a lecture theatre, which is a large auditorium-style classroom with multiple rows of desks and a large projector screen at the front. Picture a cinema but you’re not usually sat in the dark! When you arrive in the lecture theatre you choose where to sit, so arrive in time to find your way; you might enter a lecture theatre at the back and need to orient yourself. See below for some photographs of lecture theatres at York.
Every lecturer has their own teaching style, but you can usually expect a mixture of content delivered from the front and some interactive elements - perhaps where the lecturer asks you to consider a question or to take part in a survey. Take time to consider how best to take notes in a lecture. Many lectures will be recorded so that you can watch them again later, but they’re not a substitute for attending the scheduled lecture.
Seminars are usually smaller discussion-based teaching sessions, where you will have time to go into more detail about lecture material, express your own opinions and discuss ideas. Think of them a little like a class at A Level, with time devoted to a specific topic in detail. Where they differ from school, however, is that everyone is expected to participate. The member of staff will facilitate the session, but students will do a lot of the talking.
It’s therefore really important to come to a seminar prepared, whether that’s having completed the assigned reading or having undertaken a practical task shared in advance. That might sound a little scary, but you’ll come to find seminars a supportive environment where it’s okay to put things out there and to bounce ideas off the other people in the room.
Some departments will also offer tutorials, which are usually smaller groups of students compared to a seminar; perhaps 5 or 6 students with an academic facilitator. As with seminars it’s important to prepare for these sessions, as you’ll be expected to contribute directly to the discussion.
Practical classes might include, for example, laboratory sessions or fieldwork. These will vary hugely by discipline, so you can expect your department to let you know the specific details of how these kinds of sessions will work.
One of the best elements of your time at university is the opportunity to mix with other students (and staff) from a huge range of different cultures and backgrounds. International students, mature students, online and distance learners, commuting students, students with children or caring responsibilities ... you'll meet all of these and many more throughout your degree. Take some time to chat to people about their experiences; you'll learn a great deal from the people around you as well as from your tutors.
Do your experiences as a student align to one of these (or other) diverse groups? Whilst they might seem just labels, universities will often provide bespoke services and support for different student groups. At York our Student Hub supports a range of Student Communities. Our Students' Union champions the student voice at York and is a great source of guidance and activities. The Union also coordinates a wide range of extracurricular clubs and societies.
Part of developing your independent study is deciding where, when and how you can work best. Take some time to determine which locations on campus or elsewhere will be most conducive to your study time. It’s a good idea to find out where your university library is as soon as possible; that’s where you’ll find all the books you need for your degree, but there will also be a huge variety of study space available.
At York we have more than 1,000 study spaces in the library across different zones: Silent, Quiet or Studious Buzz (where it’s OK to talk). There are also study rooms and more, so you can choose the environment in which you work best. Check out the views across campus from the 3rd floor!
You’ll meet a range of staff members during your time at university, including lecturers and support staff. Generally you should refer to staff using just their first names, unless they’ve said otherwise; you don’t need to address them as Dr Jones or Professor Smith, for example. Most staff have a profile page on the university website if you need to find out more about what they teach or their research interests. Ask staff lots of questions to aid your understanding and to engage in academic discussions.
You’ll often hear about the importance of developing your critical thinking at university, but what does that actually mean? Being critical in an academic context means to question what you read or see and to carefully consider what information you use. You should pay close attention to who wrote the information, why they did so and where you found it. For instance, does the bold claim in a journal article hold up to scrutiny when you dig into the detail of the research? How can you make sense of a single piece of evidence which contrasts very sharply with the other literature in that field?
Critical thinking is not about being overtly negative and looking for opportunities to criticise, but rather about making sense of conflicting viewpoints and interrogating theories and assertions - sometimes your own as well as those you read about! Remember that these are skills you already use in everyday life, from choosing an insurance provider to judging the quickest route home. You’ll gradually learn to apply these skills in your academic life too, with lots of guidance available about what it means to be a critical thinker.
The University of York uses Google Workspace for Education, which provides your university email. It also gives you access to a range of collaborative tools which you’ll find invaluable for group projects, including Drive, Calendar and Docs. Read our guide to Google Workspace to find out more.
In your time at university you will use a range of different computer systems for different purposes, for example to find your lecture slides or to check the marks you’ve received. It’s advisable to check at an early stage that you know about which systems you’ll need to use and who to ask for help; there will usually be specific support teams who you can contact if you’re stuck.
At York, one of the key systems you’ll use is the Virtual Learning Environment, or VLE for short. That’s where you’ll find course materials such as lecture slides, videos and recordings, and it’s usually where you’ll submit your assignments. Read more about using the VLE at York.
Directed study: time spent in taught classes or undertaking additional learning activities set by your tutors
Independent study: time spent working on academic tasks of your own choice, such as reading or preparing for lectures
Journal article: an academic research paper, in which the authors summarise their research method, findings and conclusions
Lecture: an academic presentation usually delivered to large groups in a lecture theatre
Lecture capture: a system used to record the content from in-person lectures and share them with students on the module as study and revision aids
Lecture theatre: a large auditorium-style teaching room designed for presentations to large audiences
Reading list: a curated set of reading materials for a module, including texts which are generally relevant to that theme or which you must read for specific sessions
Semester: a section of the academic year, usually including a block of teaching followed by an assessment period
Seminar: a small, discussion-based teaching session
Society: a student-led group offering social activities or networking on a specific theme, usually coordinated by the Students' Union
Tutorial: a smaller form seminar, usually with a handful of students and an academic facilitator
VLE: the Virtual Learning Environment, a university system where you’ll access all of your course materials
