Online course in Study Skills

Live Smart: Your Essential Guide to Living at University

Prepare for the transition to higher education and think about the life skills for living at university and beyond.

Live Smart: Your Essential Guide to Living at University

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Overview
Topics
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Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
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  • Duration 3 weeks
  • Weekly study 3 hours
  • Learn Free
  • Extra benefits From €54 Find out more

Get ready for university life and make the most of your time as a student

What do you think university life is like?

You probably have many questions about what to expect. This course will help you prepare for the best possible start, wherever you go.

You’ll hear practical advice on how to navigate university life from current students and staff as they give you an insight into the expectations vs reality, what support will be available, and common questions about what’s ahead.

Live Smart will help you to start making plans so that you can set goals for your future and build on the life skills that will help you make the most of your time at university and beyond.

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What topics will you cover?

Week 1: Ready – Uni culture

  • What is higher education?
  • Discovering the difference between further education and higher education
  • Understanding what an academic community is and how you’re part of it
  • Knowing the people around you

Week 2: Set – Being independent at uni

  • Practicalities: Accommodation, budgeting, food
  • Socialising: What’s available for you
  • Networking and developing connections in and out of uni
  • Wellbeing: Exploring the support and resources available at university

Week 3: Go – To university and beyond

  • Work/life balance
  • Gaining and developing your personal and professional skills
  • Finding opportunities in and out of university
  • Knowing how you can make the most of your experience at uni

When would you like to start?

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more

What will you achieve?

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

  • Explain the difference between further education and higher education to understand what is expected of a university student
  • Demonstrate knowledge of managing personal finances when it comes to researching accommodation, food and working with budgets
  • Contribute to online discussions about shared experiences to help deepen their understanding and further their knowledge
  • Improve personal and professional skills to gain confidence in and out of university
  • Explore the type of support and resources available to students at their chosen university
  • Develop life skills and tools that will help build independence and resilience for university life and beyond

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone considering or soon to be enrolling at university.

Parents and supporters may also find this course useful to gain a better understanding of what living at university entails, and the sources of support that are available to students throughout their undergraduate career.

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

The University of Reading has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and enterprise.

Join this course

Start this course for free, upgrade for extra benefits, or buy Unlimited to access this course and hundreds of other short courses for a year.

Free
€0

Join free and you will get:

  • Access to this course for 5 weeks

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€54

Upgrade this course and you will get:

  • Access to this course for as long as it’s on FutureLearn
  • A print and digital Certificate of Achievement once you’re eligible
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Unlimited (New!)
€219 for one year

Buy Unlimited and you will get:

  • Access to this course, and hundreds of other FutureLearn short courses and tests for a year
  • A printable digital Certificate of Achievement on all short courses once you’re eligible
  • The freedom to keep access to any course you've achieved a digital Certificate of Achievement on, for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn
  • The flexibility to complete your choice of short courses in your own time within the year
Find out more about upgrades or Unlimited.

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