Welcome to Physical Geography: Week 1!

It can be a bit scary, starting a University degree, perhaps moving away from home, living in a new place, wondering what University will be like. Don't worry, everybody in Physical Geography at Keele is very friendly, and we hope that you will settle in quickly and find Physical Geography enjoyable and worthwhile. If ever you have any worries, just come and chat to one of us and we'll sort things out for you! If in doubt, just e-mail me at: p.g.knight@keele.ac.uk, or come in and find one of us (Me, Rich, Zoe, Katie, Alix or Stef) to talk to.

The purpose of your first year of study is to start building up the knowledge, understanding and skills that will ultimately earn you a degree. In the short term you will be working towards your first-year exams and your progression into 2nd year, but with a view to the longer term you need to establish the framework and foundation on which your later years of study, and hence your degree, will depend. By mastering the first-year material, you will set yourself up to do your very best with the more advanced challenges of the later years. Your whole degree starts here!

What to do first:

1. Make sure you have done all the signing-up and form-filling that the University requires. You should have received clear instructions from Keele about what you have to do. Enrol in the University on Saturday 24th September.The University Enrolment Handbook contains important dates and information about arriving and registering at Keele. Make sure you check those details before looking at the details on the rest of this page, which relate just to your registration for Physical Geography. Get a diary straight away so you can put appointments in it: like the one below! 

2. On Monday 26th September
You will have a University lecture in the morning (check the University Enrolment Handbook  for details), and after that you should come to room G6 in the William Smith Building at 12.15, 1.15 or 2.15 to REGISTER for the Physical Geography course.  There will be three separate sessions starting at 12.15, 1.15 and 2.15. To spread you out and avoid too much waiting around it would be helpful if students with surnames A-F came at 12.15 noon, students G-P at 1.15pm and students Q-Z at 2.15pm. Each session will take about 20 minutes. (There's a campus map here if you need to find out where we are!). You will have to fill in some paperwork, you will be allocated tutorial and practical classes, and you will collect a Geography first-year handbook. There will also be chance to meet some of the other students and to ask us any questions that you might have. 

3. On Tuesday 27th September you will attend the first Physical Geography lecture at 12 noon. This will be in  William Smith Building room G6 (time and venue to be confirmed when you register on Monday). This lecture is where we tell you how everything is organised, and where we set your first piece of work. You should take notes of what we say in this lecture, so bring paper or a note book and a pen, and your diary. If you miss this lecture you will be out of the loop before you've even started! After the lecture, if you need any specific one-to-one help or advice just come and talk to me.

4. Also on Tuesday 27th September, after the Physical Geography lecture you should go and see your Personal Tutor, if you have not already done so. Some of you will have one of the Physical Geography lecturers as your personal tutor, but some of you will have a tutor from your other subject. You will have been told who your tutor is previously, and if it was a Physical Geographer I will have given you a time and place to meet your tutor when I signed you in to Physical Geography on Monday. If you are unsure, just talk to me in Tuesday's lecture and I'll sort you out!

5. On Friday 30th September you will have your second Physical Geography lecture at 12 noon (time and venue to be confirmed). At that lecture I will be giving you some important help with the coursework assignment that we set in the first lecture.

6. You will by this stage have been given quite a lot of information: verbally, on paper, and on web-pages. The reason we give you the information is because you need it. Now is the time to read all your information, think about what we've said, and ASK if anything isn't clear. MOST IMPORTANTLY: read and understand the Geography first-year handbook and course regulations, the Physical Geography House Style document, and the Earth Sciences and Geography Handbook.

7. If you have not already done so, you should start assembling the materials you will need to do your course. Useful items are listed on our getting ready page. 

8. Well, this is University, so you have classes to go to and after Tuesday's introductory lecture you will  have your first piece of coursework to get started on! Your Physical Geography course modules start in week 2.   Make sure you go to all your classes, without fail. You will receive additional advice and instructions in class, and it is important that you keep up to speed. If you have any trouble attending, or if you have any problems following what goes on, come and see us so that we can help. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the rules and regulations that are in the course handbooks.

CHECKLIST:
By the end of week one, make sure that you...

• Have registered for Physical Geography
• Have collected (and read) a paper copy of the Physical Geography Course Handbook 
• Have collected (and read) a paper copy of the Physical Geography 1st-year Handbook 
• Have located (and read) the on-line Physical and Geographical Sciences Student Handbook
• Have located (and read) the Physical Geography House Style document
• Have been allocated a Physical Geography tutor and a tutorial group
• Have signed up for a practical group
• Have met your Physical Geography tutor and know how to contact him/her if you need help
• Know your timetable of lectures and other classes
• Have written forthcoming classes for the semester into your diary
• Have got the basic materials for note-taking and class work
• Have got the essential books and other items listed above
• Have attended all the introductory sessions and your first classes
• Know who to go to if you need help