5 things… to avoid at university in 2015

1. Contracting an STD. With around a quarter of students contracting chlamydia at university, this is definitely one to think about. The Wellbeing Advice Service on the ground floor of the Student’s Union offer free condoms as well as pregnancy tests, use them.
2. Plagiarism. The university takes plagiarism very seriously, so look up how to reference your work properly. If you’re worried about what constitutes plagiarism, ask one of your tutors. Or just avoid copying and pasting directly into an essay.
3. Overdosing. Yes, university is the time to go a bit crazy and have a great time and make lots of silly mistakes, but try and stop short of being hospitalized due to drink or drugs. It takes the fun out of it all for you and the people around you. Know your limits and be careful!
4. Technological fails. There are so many stories of people who have their whole dissertation on a memory stick who then promptly go and lose said memory stick. Here is an easy and reliable alternative: attach your work to an email, and then either send it to yourself or just save it as a draft. Your work will be immortalized in the infinite brilliance that is the Internet.
5. Failing. Go to most lectures, sit all your exams, hand your coursework in on time and try and remember the main reason you are at university: to get a degree!