As someone who has been a student for many, many a year... (I both work and study at RMIT)
- Tute before lecture's a great way to vex ya, lecture before tute will usually suit. OK, I made that up, and I'm not apologising. That said - a lot of courses will wait until the second week to start tutes. Pracs are occasional things and there's no need to try and place them carefully.
- Days without Uni are the holy grail because the freedom to work a full day shift is very appealing to casual employers. Failing that, try and get afternoons free so you can offer afternoon/evening shifts. If you can work during the week, weekends are then free for social life and study.
- Gaps between classes need to either be long enough to do something with the time, or not at all. You'll have enough time to get between classes. Two-hour gaps are long enough to go do some exercise or a decent study session, one hour is not.
The advice I wish I'd been given (and listened to, in all fairness) when I went into first year is that you'll probably have to study harder than you actually think, and that above all the best skill you can get is the ability to schedule (and stick to it). Time management is key and the more you can do to help yourself with it, the better.
Come have a look at some of the study support offerings we have at RMIT, too - Study and Learning Centre is the way to go with this.
Cheers!
RMIT Comms guru, professionally lurking on myCommunity, googling cat gifs, and occasionally even answering questions and being helpful.RMIT Connect monitors these forums at 10am and 2pm every day, but please call for urgent matters.
