• University of York

Pathways to Success: Making the Most of Your Time at University

Discover tips, guidance, and new opportunities to help you thrive at university and prepare for life afterwards.

Students from the University of York standing outside a red-brick university building and throwing their mortarboard hats.

Pathways to Success: Making the Most of Your Time at University

  • 2 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

Overview
Syllabus
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Boost your academic skills and potential with the University of York

Your university years are some of the most formative of your life. It’s worth making sure you are taking full advantage of the experience.

This two-week course from the University of York is designed to help you chart a course to success throughout your student journey.

Whether it’s building academic skills or identifying career opportunities, you’ll receive the guidance you need to thrive at university and beyond.

Develop study skills and strategies to help you maximise your learning

The focus of the course is on equipping you with skills and strategies to boost your academic potential. Week 1 of the course will introduce you to a host of opportunities to maximise your learning.

You’ll learn how to tackle assessments, harness digital tools and libraries, overcome challenges in your studies, and collaborate with your peers.

Discover opportunities to get involved with your department

Universities offer students a range of opportunities to get involved with the running of their departments. Playing a proactive role in faculty administration and curriculum design is a way of networking, boosting your CV, and advocating for you and your peers.

In Week 2 of the course, you’ll learn how getting involved in student and academic communities can help you get more out of your learning experience.

Get career guidance to prepare for your future

In the final stage of the course, you’ll begin looking beyond your time at university.

You’ll explore ways of gaining professional experience or accessing advice and guidance from university career services.

By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped and ready for the journey through university and into your future.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Whilst the main focus of higher education is your studies, universities offer a wide range of initiatives to provide a transformative experience that extends far beyond the classroom. From accessing global opportunities for study and work, participating in student communities, representing your student peers as a course rep, applying for funding and scholarships to support your future ambitions, universities can support you to access a range of opportunities that can enhance your time at university and contribute to your future success. Networking is an integral aspect of university life - building relationships early on can lead to internships, job opportunities, and invaluable mentorship.

Skip to 0 minutes and 46 seconds At the University of York, we offer many such possibilities for students, and this short course will help you to explore the range of opportunities available to maximise your time at University. University is a life-changing experience - by embracing the opportunities that sit alongside academia, you’ll be able to grow as a person, develop your skills and have a truly fulfilling higher education journey. Join us to explore how to enhance your learning journey and take your next steps to success as a student.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Making the Most out of Opportunities to Learn

    • Introductions

      Our first week together.

    • Learning and Teaching at University

      In this activity we will be looking at what learning and teaching looks like at university, and what opportunities there are to develop skills whilst learning.

    • Assessment at University

      How are we assessed at university? Assessment is a key part of university success, but what kind of assessments will you encounter and how can you maximise your assessment success?

    • Academic Skills and Success

      Joining an academic learning community is an exciting opportunity to develop on your academic skills. This section looks at how.

    • Bumps in the Road

      No student journey is without a bump in the road from time to time. This activity looks at some of those bumps and what support is available to help students through them.

  • Week 2

    Making the most of life at university

    • Welcome back!

      Welcome to week 2 of our course where we now turn our attention to how you can make the most out of opportunities available to you to build and develop your skills for success by getting involved across the university.

    • Getting involved within an academic department

      In this activity, we explore ways students can make the most of opportunities within their academic department.

    • Getting involved outside of your studies

      In this activity we explore ways to enhance your chances of success by getting involved in things outside of your studies.

    • How your Careers Service can help you

      This activity explores the various ways a university's Careers Service/Department can help you make the most of what is on offer at university.

    • Preparing for your next steps

      This activity looks at how the skills you develop at university can help you carve out your pathway to success beyond your undergraduate course.

    • Final Thoughts

      We've reached the end of the two weeks' course. What have you learned and what will you consider doing next?

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Assess the importance of proactive engagement in the learning process and its impact on personal growth and achievement.
  • Identify strategies to make the most of educational opportunities and resources available to you whilst studying at university.
  • Engage in discussion with peers and experts to share insights, perspectives and strategies for maximising learning and career potential.
  • Reflect on personal experiences and challenges to develop adaptability in navigating the student journey.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for all current and prospective students of UK universities.

Who will you learn with?

Tamlyn Ryan

Inclusive Education Advisor, University of York
PhD Sociology

Who developed the course?

University of York

The University of York combines the pursuit of academic excellence with a culture of inclusion, which encourages everyone – from a variety of backgrounds – to achieve their best.

Ways to learn

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$349.99 for one year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Continue & Upgrade

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 12 May 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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