Preparing for being a student at Nottingham
We have created a workshop to help you to prepare for starting the Natural Sciences course at Nottingham. This workshop can be done in your own time and will be available from the start of August until the start of term.
The aim of this workshop is to:
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Introduce you to some key skills that will help you to adapt to your new life in Nottingham.
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Familiarise you with the campus environment and opportunities to get involved and meet people during your course
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Provide an overview of how the university is organised and some of the terminology you will encounter here.
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Explain a few things about your relationship with the university and expectations of you as a student
Complete the online workshop
Getting familiar with Nottingham Systems
The university has a number of IT systems that they use to communicate and share information with you during your course. It can be overwhelming when you first start trying to get familiar with all of the systems that exist and find the relevant information. We have created the guide below to provide you with an overview to some of the systems you will encounter when you first arrive to help you to do the tasks you need to do when you arrive.
Have a look at the guide
Prepare for your academic studies
We recognise that it can be difficult to feel fully ready academically for starting a university course. These resources can be useful to help you to feel more prepared.
Lighter reading/listening – while we don’t recommend diving into textbooks before you arrive it can be useful to do something in your subject area to keep your interest (and brain) working over summer. Read our list of popular science material for ideas of things that might be interesting to you. This is an optional activity.
See a list of popular science material
Isaac Physics online platform – Students studying physics on their stream can sign up for a free account and access a suite of assignments on this online platform which are good revision of the content you will need to know for your course. This is an optional activity.
Isaac Physics Instructions
Introduction to Mathematical Methods – This free, online course was developed by the University of Nottingham to help undergraduate students studying maths in their stream. It covers most of the topics you will have covered at A-level and is a useful resource for preparing for the kind of mathematics you will encounter in the early stages of the course. This is an optional activity.
Access the Introduction to Mathematical Methods course
Maths problem booklet – Students studying Maths on their stream are recommended to complete this activity to help you to consolidate your knowledge, identify any problem areas and challenge yourselves with new problems. You can work through this at your own pace. The answers to these new problems will be released during Welcome Week.
Download the maths problem booklet (2021)
Prepare for independent study
Now is a good time to start to think about equipment that you might want to help you to study on your course effectively.
Textbooks – Textbooks are recommended at a modular level for natural sciences, and we advise students to wait until after they arrive to decide whether to purchase books or not. All recommended textbooks for modules are available from the libraries and many are available digitally, so you don’t need to worry about not being able to access information. If you do want to have a look at what the recommended texts are in advance, please see the list below.
Recommended textbooks
Calculators – Students on streams involving maths, physics, chemistry and biology will need a simple scientific calculator (which may be programmable) with logarithmic and trigonometric functions. The calculator you have used at school is usually sufficient but if you need to purchase one make sure it is a silent, self-contained calculator with single or dual-line display (to meet the restrictions for exams).
Molecular models – Students on streams involving chemistry may find these helpful to visualize the structure of molecules (we do have a couple of sets in the common room that you can use). These are not compulsory but if you want to purchase a set and these are available from Blackwell’s ~£25.
Laptop/Computer - Computers are available on-campus in computer rooms but we recommend bringing your own laptop or similar device to university, if possible, to make things more flexible for you when studying. If you’re considering buying a laptop for your studies, please check our guidance on devices.
Guidance on laptops
Tablet and stylus – These are not compulsory but can be useful for notetaking in graphical subjects if you prefer to make electronic notes. If you do not own a stylus and tablet, a good, affordable option is the Wacom One, which retails for around £35. This USB device is a tablet and stylus that plugs into your existing computer so you can write and draw.
Stationary – If you are someone who prefers to make and keep notes analogue then you may want to consider how you are going to do this in advance and stock up on some of the items you might need to do this such as folders, notepads, post its, drawing pins, white tack, pens, pencils and highlighters. We will have wall planners available in the first week so no need to get one of these, but it can be useful to get little stickers (coloured dots) to help you to organise yourself.