What makes freshmen face difficulties in their first year? How to overcome them

Nhiều tân sinh viên gặp khó khi vào năm nhất, làm gì để vượt qua? - Ảnh 2. — Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam for university admission

Don't know how to manage time effectively

A fundamental difference between high school and university is that students must proactively arrange their study schedule. This causes many students to encounter obstacles when starting a new journey in university. Nguyen Thi Nhi, a first-year student in the psychology and education department at Nguyen Tat Thanh University in Ho Chi Minh City, shared: "During the first semester, I could not manage my time effectively because I was used to studying according to a pre-set schedule."

Nhi added that he was also very confused because he was not used to actively arranging and managing his study schedule in a new environment, and this also caused some difficulty in studying.

Another habit in high school that makes students struggle when they go to university is the habit of studying all subjects at once before the exam day. Nguyen Phan Bao Thanh, a first-year logistics student at the University of Transport (HCMC), said he did not anticipate the situation of "a lot of knowledge, but the time for the tests is not fixed".

Thanh shared that she had a lot of difficulty with advanced math because of the abstract knowledge, but because she was still used to the old way of studying, she often put all her homework on the day before the test, which made her "very stressed". "As a result, I got a pretty bad result in my first midterm test because I still didn't fully understand the knowledge. I was even afraid that I might have to retake this subject," the female student shared.

"When I was a freshman, I had a lot of difficulty studying because I didn't know how to manage my time effectively because I still had the same study habits as in high school, waiting until the exam to review, but the university program is very different and I was overwhelmed by the new environment. Although the first semester's final results were okay, they weren't what I expected," Nguyen Thuy Vy, a second-year student at Nguyen Tat Thanh University, confided.

Learn to manage time

After finishing her first semester with "not very good" results, Bao Thanh started to build the habit of making a schedule and to-do list via electronic calendar and notes on her phone. Thanh shared that in addition to using applications to take notes and create schedules, she learned how to manage her time effectively by learning from the friends around her.

Nhiều tân sinh viên gặp khó khi vào năm nhất, làm gì để vượt qua? - Ảnh 3. — Timetable designed by Bao Thanh to keep track of daily study and activities

Thuy Vy also shared that "after the failures", she learned from her mistakes and now spends about 15-30 minutes/week writing down the tasks that need to be done during the week such as homework, group study, exam schedule, deadlines for assignments. Then, Vy divides them into days and uses a notebook or phone applications such as Google Calendar, Notion, Todoist... to keep track. This helps her not forget things and know what to prioritize first, the female student added.

Both Thanh and Vy felt that their academic results had improved significantly after learning how to organize their time properly. At the same time, time management skills helped the two female students learn how to balance studying with daily life, as well as learn how to reduce some of the pressure in both studying and life. From there, the students can be more proactive in participating in activities.

Having graduated with two majors, Nguyen Truong Huy, a former student of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), shared that he usually arranges his work based on the importance of each task. Every month, Huy will spend time arranging and planning for the next month on the Notion application and checking the schedule every day, so that if any problems arise, he can rebalance the time to optimize the operating hours.

Forming a habit of balance

Mr. Pham Ngoc Anh, lecturer at the Information Technology Center of Nguyen Tat Thanh University (HCMC), advised first-year students not to be complacent and think that studying at university is "leisurely", which leads to neglecting their studies and poor academic performance. Each student should also give up bad habits such as staying up late and not concentrating in class, instead, learn and practice how to manage time effectively.

Nhiều tân sinh viên gặp khó khi vào năm nhất, làm gì để vượt qua? - Ảnh 4. — Dr. Nguyen Thi Thoa advises new students to use their time in a way that balances studying, resting and entertaining.

"For those who are about to enter university, finding a balance between studying, resting and entertaining is very important. This is even more important for new students who plan to find part-time jobs," said Dr. Nguyen Thi Thoa, Deputy Dean and Head of the Department of Public Relations, Faculty of Creative Communication, Nguyen Tat Thanh University (HCMC).

Ms. Thoa also advised new students to practice forming the habit of organizing and managing time by planning by week and by day. "You should focus on priority tasks first. As for students, studying is the number 1 priority, so the weekly study schedule is available. You should rely on the study schedule to make appropriate plans for other tasks in order of priority without affecting your studies such as part-time work, meeting friends, entertainment, sports ...", the female doctor advised.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dieu-gi-khien-sinh-vien-gap-kho-khi-vao-nam-nhat-cach-de-vuot-qua-185250714155902702.htm