Surviving and Thriving at University: Realistic study advice from a lecturer of 30+ years

by Andy Hunt

"Surviving and Thriving at University" is a thorough guide to how to be a successful student at college or university. Unlike other books for university starters (which focus on lifestyle, accommodation, cooking, safety etc. ) this book distils practical wisdom, advice, working methods, practices, habits and guidance for actually getting through your degree.

Andy Hunt has been teaching and advising students for over 30 years, and has helped hundreds to maximise their degree or to turn around failure into success.

It's written people just about to start university, to act as a companion throughout their first year, anyone who suddenly finds that their studying is problematic, those who are returning to study after a break or failing a previous year, 6th students in school or college, about to go to university, who want to get prepared, parents and carers who wish to know what's happening at university in order to provide the best support, university staff and supervisors who want to help their students with their study skills. It brings together and explains the key skills that students need in order to flourish and succeed in a challenging and competitive environment.

It's split into 6 major sections, each with several

PART 1: Introduction, Welcome and Route-finding

Explains the different routes through the book, and explains the differences in teaching and learning expectations between school and university.

PART 2: Habits and Self-Management

This is a starting-point for long-term success. You should work through this if you're planning on coming to university, or you're at university and haven't thought much about your study skills, or you've had a bad experience and know you need to do things differently now. It gives you an overview of the best habits to introduce and develop so that you can keep on top of your work and move from surviving to thriving. The chapter on Being Your Own Manager is perhaps one of the most important things to deeply absorb and practice.

PART 3: Time Management and Planning

This is a large section that includes several chapters on Time Management, how and when to work, planning and diaries. This may (to the outside) sound almost trivial and mechanical, but it is in fact the most needed skill-set for students, sadly underdeveloped in so many people, leading to a host of problems and struggles to keep up with the work.

PART 4: Study Skills

Once you are competently in charge of all your commitments and responsibilities, you'll need to be able to engage with the work itself - the core of what you've come to university to study. The chapters in this section explain the importance of (and show top tips for best practice in) note-taking, revision, long-term exam preparation, and handling assignments.

PART 5: Communication

Although much of university life concerns individual or solo work, many of the requirements of being a student depend on working with other people. It's important to spend some time thinking about and developing the ways you communicate with others. So this section contains chapters on keeping in touch, email mastery, the importance of supervision, and guides for group working.

PART 6: Help and Support

This is a major section because people generally know when they are in trouble, but don't often know what to do about it. The chapters here cover a wide range of issues from stress & anxiety, wanting to quit, procrastination, getting stuck, perfectionism, loss of focus, and losing motivation. There are also sections on special needs support, and how to get back on track when something has gone wrong.

403 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2021

About the author

see also Andrew Hunt

Andy Hunt is a programmer turned consultant, author and publisher.
He co-authored the best-selling book "The Pragmatic Programmer",
was one of the 17 founders of the Agile Alliance, and co-founded
the Pragmatic Bookshelf, publishing award-winning and critically
acclaimed books for software developers.

Andy started writing software professionally in early 80's across
diverse industries such as telecommunications, banking, financial
services, utilities, medical imaging, graphic arts, and of course,
the now-ubiquitous web.

Source: Amazon.com