Everyone knows that the first year of university is a year of fun. It’s all about the socialising, club joining and drinking games, or at least my first year at university was. However, as you move further through your university career, that begins to change. The workload gets heavier, the time spent on studying increases, and your stress levels go through the roof. The second year is harder than the first year but it’s nowhere near as difficult as the third year can be because your final year at uni is packed full of so many different things.

 

There are exams to take and coursework to hand in. There’s the dreaded dissertation to plan, write and hand in. You’ve also got your future to think about – AKA where will you go next? Should you take a gap year and see the world? Is a masters on the agenda? Would an internship be a good move to make? Your mind is filled with questions, life is stressful – there are no two ways about it, the third year at uni is hard work.

 

Although the concept of going into your third year of university is stressful, it’s important to understand that it doesn’t have to be a total nightmare. The key to handling it like a champ is organisation – be organised and you can have the most amazing third year. Wondering what steps you should take to be more organised? Below are some of the pieces of advice that I swore by in my final year of uni.

 

Invest in a student planner

 

First things first, if you don’t already have one, buy a student planner. Honestly, an academic planner could be lifesaving. You can store your lecture and seminar timetable in there, you can create ticklists of tasks to complete, there’s usually space to write down assignment details too.

 

If you’re going to get organised, it’s important to make sure that you have a planner to make the process easier and less stressful. If you have a little book to note down the tasks that need completing and when you need to be in class, you will find it much easier to get organised and use your time effectively.

 

Know when assignments are due

 

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when it comes to your third year at university is failing to keep track of when your assignments are due. That’s why it’s so beneficial that you map out your assignment deadlines in your planner or on a wall chart. It can also be beneficial to download student planner apps that send automatic reminders for when assignments are due in so that you aren’t able to easily forget a deadline.

 

Master assignment writing

 

Never leave an assignment until the last minute, as this is when you end up rushing and missing something out. Make sure to start every assignment at least three weeks before it’s due, to ensure that you are able to complete it on time. If you’re ever struggling with an assignment, don’t be afraid to ask your lecturer for help. There’s also plenty of help and support online in a wide range of forms.

 

What some students find helpful is using essay writing services to get an assignment example written up, that can then be used to aid their own writing. There are plenty of cheap essay writing services in the UK for you to choose from, just make sure that if you do purchase an essay, you don’t hand it in as your own work, instead you use it purely for guidance. A handy hack for checking that your work is completely original is to put it through Copyscape before submitting it.

 

Work hard and play hard

 

Just because you are in your third year of university, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun. Yes, you need to work hard, but it’s also important to play hard too. Set aside time to relax and unwind, so that you’re not always working. You want to make the most of your last year of university, you don’t want to waste all your time stressing. So it’s important to set aside time to do the things that you enjoy doing, such as your hobbies or attending social outings. You can get an amazing grade and still make time for fun, it’s just a case of being organised, that’s all.

 

The third and final year of university is always going to be hard work, it’s designed to be. However, that doesn’t mean that your third year has to lead to you becoming extremely stressed, the key to surviving the pressure that comes with your final year is organisation.