Lectures at university can be quite different from lessons at school and college, particularly when you are taught in a big group.

It’s hard to know what an undergraduate lecture is like until you’ve been to one. Even if you’ve been to a public lecture or sample session when visiting university, it’s not quite the same as the real thing because people behave differently at those events and you often don’t have to take notes.

Keeping up with note taking, being in a big group and dealing with sensory stimuli can be challenging and exciting – just like the content of lectures themselves. Many students enjoy lectures as it’s a chance to learn more about a subject you’re really interested in, from an expert in your field.

Making notes

1. You can’t really write down everything that is said, even if you have amazing shorthand skills. See the link for practical notetaking tips: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/note-taking.
2. It’s pointless copying what’s on the slides – they will be available to you on the module’s Blackboard site.
3. Try to write about details not included on the slides, as well as noting the main points.
4. Mind mapping, either via software or by hand, can be a useful way of showing the links between points and might suit your way of thinking.

Timing

1. Lectures don’t always start on time, but it’s better to assume that they will.
2. At Bangor, although your timetable will indicate that lectures start on the hour, they all start at ten minutes past the hour, to allow time to get between classes.
3. Sometimes being late is unavoidable. Just come in as quietly as you can – it might feel intimidating at the time, but most people don’t mind and it’s better not to miss out completely. Do the same if you need to leave to take a break, or before the end of the lecture.
4. Other students may arrive late or leave early themselves. This can be distracting, but it’s okay to do this at university, as everyone has things going on outside the course.
5. If you arrive too early for your session, the previous lecture may still be going on, and/or you can get caught in the crowd of people leaving. If you can, spend some time around your lecture theatres at lecture changeover time, and familiarise yourself with where entrances and exits are.
6. If you have time, go to the toilet first! It sounds obvious, but lectures can be two hours long and if there is a break, there are likely to be queues for the toilet.
7. If you are one of the first people in to the lecture theatre, you can choose where to sit – you might like to sit at the end of a row so you can get out quickly if you need, or near the front if it helps you to concentrate.

“I left lectures, if the commotion became unbearable.” (student,  Autism&Uni surveys)

Signing in

Students often need to sign-in to lectures and seminars. At Bangor this is usually done via the session PIN code, which you need to enter online. If you miss the PIN code at the start of the class, try to speak to the tutor at the end of the session, or update your Engagement record via your MyBangor homepage.

Question time

1. There will often be an opportunity to ask questions in a lecture – sometimes lecturers explain it is fine to ask questions as they go along, and sometimes questions are asked at the end. It can help to write your questions down.
2. You should only ask a question publicly in a lecture if you think everyone in the session would benefit from hearing the answer. It can be hard to judge when this will be the case, especially to begin with. If you’re not sure, or your question is more specific to your own understanding, you can ask privately at the end of the lecture, email your lecturer, or arrange an appointment with them.

1. What helps you to focus on someone speaking, like a lecturer, when a lot is going on?
2. Do you feel comfortable asking the lecturer to use the microphone if everyone else says they’re OK without it or the lecturer starts speaking quietly?
3. If you need to leave a lecture early, either because you have an appointment or you need to go somewhere quiet for a while, how will you sort that out in advance?
4. Do your lecturer and fellow students know that you are autistic? Do you think it might help if they did know?