Welcome, Freshmen! We know you are all geared up and raring to start your university life, but we also know how daunting it can be and how different it is to your previous school experiences. So to help you reduce your anxiety, NTU Library has compiled seven Freshmen Life Hacks to welcome you to the university (and to get that 5.0 GPA)!

1. Getting your recommended texts

  • Most of the time there will be a recommended course textbook for your module and NTU Library will keep at least one copy of your course text
  • Here’s everything you need to know about How to Access Your Course Reserves

2. Knowing your way around (the libraries)

  • NTU is huge, we know! And we have 8 libraries, most of them hidden in buildings. Fret not, if you can find one library, we have prepared a map to help you find others! These maps can be found near our service counters but if you don’t see them, ask our library staff, they’ll be happy to give you one.
  • Alternatively, there is the NTU Campus Map (be warned, it’s best viewed on a laptop rather than your handphone)

3. Using Library Spaces to Sleep Study

  • Our libraries are designed with you in mind – we have spaces for group discussion, computers you can book if you left your laptop at home, quiet areas for you to get some quality studying done, comfortable spaces for you to chill and get your mind off school for a while, we even have cinema rooms!
  • Find out what facilities we have and book them here: http://bit.ly/ntulibbooking

4. WhatsApp a Librarian

  • Got a question for us? If you are too far from a library, we’re just one WhatsApp message away! You can ask about anything to do with library spaces, research help, how to access our e-books or databases, etc. if we don’t know the answer, we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

5. Exams????

  • As a recent graduate, I remember how stressful exams are. Here’s something I learned – lecturers are creatures of habit. Exam papers set by the same lecturer tend to be similar. As long as you know when your lecturer taught the module, we’ve got an archive of past examination papers for you to use!
  • Not all schools give us access to their exam papers but you can search our archive using your module code to check.

6. Attend a workshop!

  • We organise plenty of workshops throughout the semester, most are related to academic writing and research but occasionally we have fun, general education talks by students, professors and even external speakers.
  • Look at our workshop calendar to see what we have lined up so far!

7. Keep up with NTU Library

  • It’s going to get hectic once the semester really gets going, an easy way to keep up with events is to follow us on Facebook (NTU Library), Instagram and Twitter (@NTUsgLibrary)!
  • We keep you updated with our events and even hold fun contests with prizes you can win from time to time.

Think that’s all we’ve got up our sleeves? Think again, NTU Library is your partner in research and we’ve got plenty more tips to share once you’ve gotten into the groove of things. Keep an eye out for it!