First Year

University is a time of great opportunity and an excellent chance to really enjoy yourself.  The real challenge for you over the next few years is to get involved in many activities and gain some great experiences.  Just remember that, at the same time, you will be gaining skills that will help you be more effective in your academic studies as well as being useful to you in the future once your studies have been completed.  It’s  never too early to start developing those valuable skills that you will require  in  the future, whatever career path you ultimately decide to take.

Here are some action points to help you get started.

Join clubs and societies

Getting involved in clubs and societies is an enjoyable part of university life and it also shows employers that you are motivated and can work in a team

Start developing your employability and career management skills

It’s never too early to start recognising the range of skills you are developing and to start seeing where possible gaps may appear.  So, use the AberGrad Skills Checklist now to help you keep track of your skills and abilities.  Your tutor will also be referring to this, so get ahead of the game!

Gain work experience, paid or voluntary work

Part-time jobs are a great way of earning some extra cash. Through this experience you will also start to find out what sorts of tasks you enjoy doing and what you definitely don’t want to do in a future role.  Volunteering is another great way of giving you more insights into possible work roles for the future.  Your first year is a good time to engage in work experience and volunteering when you do not have the pressure of final year deadlines and exams. You can start by searching Sourcing Work Experience.  Remember that you will have four months over the summer period to get some significant work experience and many employers now offer summer internships specifically for first year students, check out our vacancy database.