University challenges you to study independently

'University teaching and learning styles are very different to those in schools'. There's no learning by rote, which means lots more freedom. But the other side of the coin is that you'll need more self-discipline
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'There are different rules for citing books, journals and websites'. Photograph: Alamy

When you start university, you'll find the way you study changes. School textbooks are replaced with academic journals, classrooms are swapped for giant lecture halls and "referencing" becomes a familiar chore.

Humanities students will notice the biggest difference when they're handed their university timetable – there's far less teaching time than at school or college. This means you can enjoy a lot more freedom, says Ian Shrimpton, a second-year philosophy student at Reading University.

"When you're set an essay you're given a recommended reading list, but the rest is up to you – it's not like at school where you're bound by a curriculum. There's quite a wide variety of lectures on offer, so you pick the ones that you find interesting."

But there are some formal standards you have to stick to. Universities expect you to present your work professionally. This means any books you have used when researching your assignments need to be cited, either in the footnotes to your work or at the end in a bibliography.

This can be a bit tedious, says Sophie Murray-Morris, a third-year English student at Birmingham University. "When you finish an essay you think: 'Yay! It's over; I'm done!' But then you realise that you have to do your bibliography."

And getting it right is quite tricky, she says. "When we were set our first essay, we were given a 10-page guide to referencing, which was a bit daunting. There are different rules for citing books, journals and websites, and you have to get it spot-on. Even by having a comma in the wrong place you risk losing marks."

Universities also expect students to be exact when it comes to meeting deadlines, says Charlotte Britton, welfare officer at Swansea University students union. "Tutors can tell if work is handed in late, either because you have to submit it online, or because it has to be handed in at your departmental office.

"It varies from uni to uni, but a late hand-in can mean anything from getting 10% knocked off your work to getting zero marks, depending on how late it is."

But tutors recognise that first year is tough, says Thomas Joyce, professor of orthopaedic engineering at Newcastle University. "In our school every student is allocated a tutor who can offer guidance if a student wants to check their progress."

If you're starting university, he says work hard and enjoy your studies, but don't be shy about asking for support.

• This story was changed on 04.10.12 to clarify that Charlotte Britton is welfare officer at Swansea University, not Cardiff University

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