So it’s that time of the year again. You are either going to university for the first time or you are returning for a subsequent year.

But have you ever thought to ask yourself what you are trying to get out of university? Or are you simply there because all of your friends are and it’s all just one big party? Or perhaps your parents made you do it?

Whatever your motives, here are three crucial questions you should think about before heading back for your studies:

1. What degree classification would you like to get? And what are you truly capable of achieving?

If you are not aiming for anything then you are aiming to miss. Students who are disappointed with their results often did not set a goal and did not work towards it.

So consider making a decision, now, about what grade you would like in the end and put in place a plan on how you plan to achieve it.

2. What would you like to do after graduation?

University is a great time to figure out what you would like to do after graduation. You get long summer holidays and have access to a large network of people (friends, societies, the student union, departmental career centres etc..)

Make use of these advantages. Arrange internships or work-experience and be sure to get a taste of areas of work that might be of interest. You do not want to spend a year in shambles after graduation, trying to figure out a career path when you could have done it within three years at uni.

3. How much YOLO-ing is enough?

They say You Only Live Once (“YOLO”). Well, you only go to uni once also and as much as I am all for the drinking, partying, and carnage, it can only go on for so long before your health and academic performance take a hit.

Yes, party hard, make the most of uni, but don’t forget you have to come out of it a better, more rounded, educated person.

Written by Michael Tefula (author of How to Get a First)