Five things I discovered at Farnborough College of Technology

1. Everyone is there to help you.  

Staff and students alike are there to support you through your studies, as well as help you with any personal situations you may be going through. If you are struggling to understand the content you are covering, ask your peers and if they do not understand either, ask your lecturer to go over the content again. They will not mind reexplaining the subject if it helps you to understand it more. 

Additionally, if you are struggling to keep up with the workload, tell someone. They may not be able to give you an extension, but they will be able to give you guidance on how to make best use of your time. 

2. Getting involved is beneficial. 

There are lots of opportunities available to students at Farnborough College of Technology, such as attending a student forum to discuss your views of aspects of the college, with other students from different faculties. Or it could be participating in one of the many enrichment activities organized by the Learner Services department. 

These activities provide an enjoyable break from learning as well as allowing you to meet new people, and most importantly, to have fun! In my first year at college, I attended a number of students forums and open events, and in my second year I became FE student governor and got involved with robotics and book club enrichment.

Being FE student governor has been an amazing experience and has allowed me to gain so much confidence and make the College the best place it can be for students and staff. 

3. Get assignments in as soon as possible. 

I cannot stress this enough- the more promptly you complete assignments the better. The fresher the knowledge, the easier the questions are to answer. From personal experience, leaving assignments until the night before they are due in puts you under an undue amount of stress. 

Additionally, if you are worried that you will not complete it in time and therefore end up rushing it, you are more likely to answer the questions incorrectly. The more time you give yourself to complete an assignment the easier and less stressful it is to complete. 

4. Having good time management skills is essential. 

When I received my timetable at the start of my first year, I noticed I was only in 3 days a week and I thought that meant that on the other two days I could just stay at home and watch Netflix all day. I was very wrong. The reason we have so much time off is that time is for personal study as well as completing assignments.

Lesson time will not often be used for completing assignments as this is used for practical work and learning the theory to complete assignments. Additionally to this, you will often be set 4-5 assignments at once. Unlike in school it is your responsibility to remember when these assignments are due in it is often worth checking Moodle to ensure that you have them in on time.

On the other hand, you need to make sure you are available to do things you enjoy. For me I enjoy reading, jigsaw puzzles and model building. 

5. Your time at college is gone before you know it.  

Where has the past 2 years gone?! It only feels like yesterday that I started my induction week at the College. Time has flown by and even if some of it was spent online, I will remember my time at college for years to come. I have met so many amazing people, made so many memories and gained important skills which will help me reach my potential.

College is a lot shorter than school but there is a lot of knowledge to gain in such a short amount of time. Work hard but also enjoy yourself.