Springtime is synonymous with flowers and sun, but for undergraduate students it's also synonymous with papers and examinations. In order to let you feel more relaxed about it, here below there are some useful tips written by professor David Gauntlett, from the University of Westminster. The one down here is the first instalment out of nine and we're going to publish one instalment each week. Anyway, if you feel you need more go to www.theory.org.uk and see them altogether. We sincerely hope they will help you feeling more confident in the university jungle! Enjoy the reading and for any questions or information contact us!

DON'T THINK YOUR LECTURERS ARE MEANT TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING

It might seem convenient if your lecturers could just tell you everything you need to know, in lectures, and then you could write it down in essays or exams later.

It might seem convenient if your lecturers could just tell you everything you need to know, in lectures, and then you could write it down in essays or exams later. But that's not how it works. And it's really not a good way of learning about anything. And you don't want to be a robot who just regurgitates things that a person told them, do you? You might think that you need to get the proper facts from your lecturer so you can get a good degree and get a good job. If that's what you think, you're getting it all wrong.

Employers don't want people who can repeat stuff that somebody just told them. (What would they want that for?). Employers want people who are curious, critical, and able to work things out for themselves. (So, you might ask, what are lectures for? Lectures should introduce you to interesting things, and stimulate you to find out more. But they can only be a 'taster' for the big meal of ideas and knowledge that is out there – and to get you thinking for yourself).