Transitioning to university writing

...but every educational system is different...

welcome to

Our students come from all across the world...

..so let's take a look at transitioning to UoS.

All about UoS

160 nationalities are represented by our student population.

Top 50 university in the Guardian University Guide 2023 and internationally recognised as a leading university, receiving 5 stars for teaching, inclusiveness, employability and facilities in the QS World University Rankings 2023.*

With students from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Australia, campuses in Sunderland,London and Hong Kong and global partnerships with learning institutions in 15 countries, we really are a global university!

We have almost 28,000 enrolments!

With undergraduate courses and both postgraduate taught and research courses, UoS has a grand total of 27,814 enrolments!*

46%

of our students are classified as 'Overseas'.*

* more information herehttps://www.sunderland.ac.uk/about/about-the-university/

Transitioning to UoS

Starting university is an exciting time but it can be challenging. It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous and overwhelmed at first sodon't worry if it takes you a while to find your feet!

Academic workload: unfortunately your tutors won't necessarily be aware of your full workload so be prepared for multiple submissions/dates. Tip: set yourself deadlines at least 24hrs before your work is really due and give yourself a little room...just in case!

Expectations: learning at university is likely to be different from your previous experience. You are in control of your learning which means that you need to give yourself 'time to learn how to learn', so be patient with yourself! Tip: Find a study partner to 'buddy up' with and motivate each other to do what needs to be done.

How is university different?

Teaching: rather than having daily taught sessions, you might only have teaching once or twice a week (depending on your course) meaning that you will cover a lot of material quite quickly and be required to complete your reading between lectures.

Be realistic and try to keep things in perspective. Don't sweat the small stuff - it's not the end of the world!

Tip:Think of your studies as a job and plan 3-4 hours per module outside of class to work on assignments and reinforce what you've been learning.

Academic writing @ UoS

Nobody is born able to write 'academically' - it's a skill you learn!

It's all about interpreting and investigating data, planning and structuring your work and using feedback to improve.

Academic writing is quite specific in its content, structure and style. Click the images for more info...

Vocabulary formal & precise

Great resource! ALEX writing tool

Evidence use reliable sources

Structure clear & logical

Use our services!

UoS has a range of services to support you throughout your time here...

• Wellbeing Support
• International Student Support
• UoS Students' Union
• University Library Services
• Student Financial Guidance
• IT Support
• Team Sunderland

Click here!

Use our library resources too!

UoS Library Services Click the yellow dots...

Finding your way around

for interactive maps and virtual tours

Book a tour

to learn the basics of the library with the customer support team

Learn the basics

for a playlist about library resources and spaces

for a playlist on how to use the library system

How to use Library Search

looking for some more help? No problem!

Don't worry - there's lots of support here to help you!

Click the link below to check out how the UoS Study Skills Team can help https://library.sunderland.ac.uk/services-and-support/skills/one-to-one-support/

Daily online drop-in - Mon. & Fri. 11:30am-1pm / Tues., Wed. & Thurs. 3:30-4:30pm 1:1 appointments - 1hr sessions available at times to suit you

Essays are usually written in continuous text (they don’t use sub-headings) and are structured in the following way: Introduction - 'set the scene' and tell your reader why the topic is important. Main body - each paragraph should look at a different (but linked) aspect of your topic. Although there’s no perfect paragraph model, you could try this:

• tell your reader what the paragraph is going to cover (either introduce a new point or link it to the previous one)
• explain why it’s important
• make your argument and support it with EVIDENCE
• conclude by linking to the question/next paragraph

Conclusion - don’t introduce new information in your conclusion, just remind your reader of what you were asked to do and draw your main points together to show how you’ve done that.