First Year vs Second Year at University – Is there a difference?

Welcome to another blog post. Today’s post is going to be about the topic of university. You quite often hear about there being a big gap between first year and second year of university. You hear that second year is a lot harder. I thought people had a tendency to overreact but I do sort of get it. Today, I wanted to talk about the differences between first year and second year. Let’s get to it.

First year doesn’t count

The big difference between first year and second year, for me anyway, is that first year does not count towards your overall degree classification when you graduate. You try not to let that impact you too much in first year, but it is always in the back of your mind. You sort of relax a little bit, even if you don’t mean to. In second year, you are always reminded that this is when it starts to count. That pressure is definitely there.

The modules are harder

Perhaps this is just me and the way I feel, but I feel like the modules are harder in second year. I mean, EU law was very difficult for me. I do think it could be due to the fact that the modules and the various topics in each module are covered in significantly more detail than in first year.

The structure of second year is different

I think this is more down to my university than anything else but in first year, my law lectures were spread across both of the semesters. The only modules that happened in each semester were my Politics modules as I am a Law with Politics student. In second year, I have completed 3 modules in first semester, and I’m currently completing another 3 in second semester. I feel like I preferred the structure of first year, as it was more spread out and it gave me time to relax. I feel like I haven’t had time to relax this year.

The modules from first year are important

There are certain aspects of the modules I studied in first year that are just as important in second year. With law, it all interconnects with each other. Each topic essentially relates to each other. For example, what I studied in Public Law relates a little bit to EU law. In first year, I studied a module called the Legal System of England and Wales, and a lot of that module has appeared in my other modules.

But…

It is very easy to look at this information and think, “I won’t be able to cope.” However, it is something that you very much can cope with. It is manageable and it’s important to remember that everyone else in your classes are going through the same thing as you. For me, you don’t necessarily notice the difference straight away. It’s only when you think back to first year that you then start to realise there is a difference.

If you’re a first year reading this, please don’t be scared or afraid. It is something that you can do. There will be times where it feels overwhelming but it is important to speak up if you ever feel like that.

Thank you for reading and I will see you soon for another blog post.

Beth