By the tiswa editorial team, from the official sources listed at the end of this guide. How we write our guides
These first week at university tips are for anyone starting out. The first week goes fast: new buildings, an unfamiliar timetable, faces you do not know, and a study system nothing like school. Many students spend it finding rooms and meeting people, then discover in week three that they missed the drop and add deadline, or that their early absences counted. This guide is a practical checklist for week one, with the rules you need to know from the unified study and examinations regulation.
Before day one
- Activate your university account and email; every announcement and system runs through it. You can find how for your university on its page on tiswa.
- Download your timetable from the academic system and note each course's code, section and room.
- Open the academic calendar and save the key dates: the end of drop and add, the last day to withdraw from courses, and exams. Example: King Saud University's calendar.
- Try the trip to campus at the same time as your first lecture, to learn the traffic and parking.
- Get your basic kit ready; the full list is in university essentials.
Week one, day by day
- Day one: learn the campus
Find your lecture rooms, the library, Student Affairs, the admission and registration deanship, food and prayer rooms. Save a campus map on your phone.
- Day two: attend everything and read the course specs
The first lecture usually covers the course specification: mark breakdown, references, assignments and absence policy. Keep it.
- Day three: lock in your timetable
If you have a clash or an unsuitable section, week one is drop and add time. Read the drop and add guide.
- Day four: plan your time
Set a weekly study timetable alongside lectures; do not wait for the first test. Try time management apps.
- Day five: meet people
Get to know at least two classmates per course, join the official course group if there is one, and find out who your academic advisor is.
Absence: the rule to know from day one
The unified regulation bars a student from a course's final exam if their attendance falls below the level the university council sets, records a barred grade, and treats it as a fail in the GPA. The college council may lift the bar if the student gives an excuse it accepts. As an example of the level, Jouf University's executive rules bar a student whose absence passes 25% of lectures, and lift the bar for an excuse only if attendance is at least 50%.
| Lectures in the course per semester | Absence equal to 25% |
|---|---|
| 30 lectures (two a week) | 7.5 lectures |
| 45 lectures (three a week) | 11.25 lectures |
The table is an illustration using Jouf's level; your university may set a different level and count differently, so ask in week one. The idea holds, though: week one absences count, and a few days add up fast. If you miss a lecture with an excuse, keep the document and tell the professor; see how to email a professor to word it properly.
Rules you will hear about a lot
- Credit hours: every course carries hours, and your GPA is weighted by them. See the credit hours system.
- Drop and add: a short window at the start of term to change your timetable, which the regulation does not count as part of the semester itself.
- Course withdrawal: available later in the term under your university's rules, recorded as W.
- Academic probation: a warning if your cumulative GPA drops below the minimum. Learn it before you need it in academic probation explained.
If your university starts with a common or preparatory year, read the preparatory year guide, since its GPA usually affects the major you enter later.
Habits to start in week one
- Review each lecture the same day, even for twenty minutes. It is far easier than reviewing weeks of material before a test.
- Keep each course's files in one folder named by course code.
- Go to office hours at least once in the first month, even with a simple question.
- Do not sign up for every activity in week one. Pick one club or activity you enjoy.
- Sleep properly. The first midterm comes sooner than you expect.
It is normal in the first days to feel everyone knows what they are doing except you. In fact most of your classmates feel the same. Ask: staff at admission and registration and Student Affairs are there to help, and students in later years remember their first week and usually like to help. If worry or stress lasts beyond the first weeks, many universities offer student counselling; ask Student Affairs.
Common week one mistakes
- Trusting classmates on dates instead of the official calendar and the professor's announcements.
- Skipping the first lectures as "just introductions", when they explain how marks are split.
- Putting off a registration problem until drop and add closes.
- Buying every book and tool before the professor confirms the references you actually need.
- Not activating your university email, and missing announcements sent only there.
Week one spending
Week one has costs that do not come round often: supplies, books, transport and campus food. Set a limit from the start so the end of the month does not surprise you, and plan monthly spending as shares of your income, as in the student budget guide. Before any big purchase, check for a student discount, since many software and device makers offer special prices to anyone with a university email.
I am a new student in the College of [college] at [university]. My timetable: [paste courses with days and times]. I live in [campus housing or the city], [time] from campus. 1) Write me a task list for each day of week one. 2) Build a weekly study timetable alongside lectures, at roughly one hour of study per lecture hour. 3) Remind me which dates to check in the academic calendar.
For returning students after a long break, see the back to university guide. If you are moving to a new city, read the university housing guide.
Every other university rule is in university rules.
