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You are here Your Student Journey > New to Trinity > The Challenges

The Challenges

While we hope your transition into college will be smooth and problem free, it's good to know that many transition students do face challenges in their first year in college. There can be challenges around the academic culture; wondering what your lecturers expect, how to learn independently (what does that even mean?), how to write in an academic style, how to manage your workload or carry out research or think critically. Navigating these challenges might require you to develop new learning skills. Even high achieving students can struggle and may need to use different learning strategies to those they used in school.

The great thing is that you can learn new skills and if you start using appropriate skills early on, they will stand you in good stead for your later years in college and help you maximise your potential. First year is a good time to find out what works for you, so take the opportunity to develop great learning skills now!

Some questions that new students often ask are:

  • "What does the lecturer mean when they talk about critical thinking?"
  • "How do I structure and write an academic essay?"
  • "How do I manage my time?"
  • "What does 'independent learner' mean?"

Click on the 'Learning resources' tab on the left to find the answers to these and other questions you might have regarding how to develop the skills you will need to do your best in college.