Just two days to go

So, only two days until my Uni course officially starts.  I've logged on, made sure my computer is compatible with uni and there are 5 units that most people will see as pre-requisits when you begin a course.  They are, Academic Honesty, Getting started (on the Uni's computer portal), IT Security, Library skills, Work Health and Safety.  Of course, I now also have a uni email address.

As I am not new to most of this, having done similar courses at my previous university and work, I have skimmed through them.  The exception was Getting Started, so that I could work out what I needed computer wise and how to use the portal.  I'm sure I will go back to that one at some stage.
I recommend doing each one if don't have my previous experience though, especially IT Security and Academic Honesty.

It is easy to get into a lot of trouble when writing for university if you do not have the skills needed for academic writing, particularly paraphrasing and correct referencing.  I remember I once started an essay with this line:

Michelangelo said "I'm still learning"   (still my favorite quote of all time!)

It was the only essay I did not receive a high distinction in for that class as I did not reference the quote!  I learned the hard way that here are no throw away lines in academic writing.  Most university's use the Harvard referencing system, and there is a great How to cite PDF online at the University of Sydney that has very good explanations.  It's downloadable, covers everything from books to Facebook, and only 14 pages long!  I'm sure it will be covered early in the course however, as it is an import part of writing, and especially genealogy.

 I can't wait to get started, and intent to do a post about each week on this new journey.