For hundreds and thousands of predominantly young people, the start of October is a hugely exciting and anxious time. For some it represents the advent of adulthood, perhaps the very first time they have left the familial home and ventured alone into the world without the protective cloak of a parent or guardian. A new university term has begun.

Many will be living with strangers, navigating new friendships, and finding their financial bearings. They will be getting to know new cities, maybe new customs and rituals. Certainly, there will be much that is unfamiliar and disconcerting, challenging, and thrilling.

All are on the cusp of a learning process that will hopefully enrich their lives and by their graduation leave them with a keen sense of what it is to be a citizen in a hyper-mediatised world.

As part of my role as director of Undergraduate Studies at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism Media, and Culture it has been my duty and pleasure to each year welcome new students and help them to understand their brave new world.

What all new arrivals at any university need right now is reassurance. To be safe in the knowledge that those in charge of the next few years of their educational development recognise the unique set of circumstances they face.

Cardiff University, in common with all other universities in the UK, I’m sure, respects, values and listens to all its students – with attention to personal circumstance. It recognises that concerns and needs will not be uniform across the 28,000 students. But it can guarantee that, if necessary, each person will be advised individually.

What follows is a personal 10-step advice guide on how new students can approach their studies. And get the best from their degree.

1. Be confident in your own ability.

You have been accepted on to your course of choice. You clearly have the intellectual ability to succeed.

If you don’t have the educational qualifications of your classmates – don’t worry. A-Level excellence (or equivalent) does not necessarily mean that degree study will come easily. The key to success is hard work! The efforts and results of the past are insignificant now. Your past efforts matter, of course, but any degree course is a great leveller! Everyone is starting from the same point.

You should expect to be under confident or insecure every now and again – this keeps us on our toes. I know professors with years of experience who shake like lettuce leaves in a hurricane before they have to speak in public! Self-doubt is natural – it’s how we deal with it that matters.

2. Never be afraid to ask questions.

No question is ever too daft. If you require an explanation – ask for it. Lecturers appreciate this. In a seminar/workshop room, no questions at all from students doesn’t mean they’ve got the point – it might mean they are either bored or asleep! Asking questions shows engagement, indicates a vibrant mind and above all shows that you are thinking critically.

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3. Never be afraid of being wrong.

Being at university is a learning process. No one, not even your lecturers, know everything. No individual is the finished article. A good course encourages experimentation of ideas where outcomes can vary.

If you do go drastically awry, then that’s OK, too. Remember, academics are there to teach you. You are not a hindrance. You are the lifeblood of the university. They will help you to succeed. The key thing is communication. Talk to people.

Year One is the time where you begin to absorb ideas and new modes of working. Where you begin to develop your own style.

4. Talk to your tutors.

All students will have personal tutors. Establish a relationship. Talk to them. They are there to provide advice – academic and personal. Cliché alert – if no one knows what the issue is, no one can help. Talk to your module leaders, stay behind after class for a chat, introduce yourself.

All lecturers love this and after a while will tell you absolutely anything you wish to know – such is our need for human engagement!

More seriously, every student I have taught who has engaged with his or her department has been a successful one.

Key point: You cannot “wing” a first class degree!

5. Use the library.

A simple point, I know – but this is the centre of university learning. All the materials conducive to success are located here. Or increasing available online. Libraries provides quiet learning environments, too – away from whatever distractions exist outside. On a more general note, come into college whenever you can. It’s all about engagement. With many courses you may be required to attend relatively few lectures, with material available remotely. Don’t see this as an opportunity to disengage. Listen, learn, enquire.

6. Live the whole life.

Your experience need not simply be about studying for your degree. It’s about the whole experience – the word university comes from the Latin “universitas” meaning “the whole”. Seek out which clubs and societies you can join, what training programmes are available, either for free or at a discount rate. Use the careers service, investigate study abroad, summer teaching schools, opportunities for work experience etcetera. It is a common refrain from students on graduation is that they never realised the university had so much to offer. Your three years will be over in a flash – take advantage!

7. Enjoy your learning!

You may be surprised by how many students, having made the choice to come to university, see learning and being asked to study as a chore and inconvenience. Enjoy it – embrace the newness or complexities of your study. Be prepared to work, to read and to critically analyse. This is key. An enthusiasm for your subject will make the possible difficulties of learning and the accumulation of knowledge something which you will hardly notice taking place.

Every first class student I’ve taught had this enthusiasm in some form.

8. Engage with your fellow students.

You may be considerably older than your colleagues or you may be from a different cultural or geographical background – but you are united by the common pursuit: getting the best degree you can. I have yet to be in a teaching situation where the presence of students from different cultural backgrounds did not improve the learning conditions. Don’t be afraid of each other – take it from me, most of you are quiet, decent and eager to make friends.

Learn from each other, not just the set texts.

9. Think about university as you would a gym membership.

You are potentially paying a great deal of money to visit a centre of excellence where there are the best facilities and best trainers. If you don’t attend (online and in person) you will not achieve anything nearing your full potential. BUT if you do attend all the right things are in place to make success probable.

The point is – it’s up to you. In university, you get out what you put in.

10. Think about what you gain.

Graduation day 2026. The culmination of three years of hard work and a degree qualification from an internationally recognised institution. It’s hard to overstate the importance of this day, the sense of pride and achievement you will feel. Remember the added value of your degree:

* You will have expert knowledge in your field;

* You will have attained the ability to research, write and critique according to highest academic standards;

* You will have the skills to work both independently and in groups;

* You will recognise the importance of intellectual objectivity, preparation, meeting deadlines;

* And of course, your chances in the job market significantly improved!

What’s not to love?

* Dr Jewell is director of Undergraduate Studies at Cardiff University's School of Journalism, Media and Culture.