The only timetables available list discos, bands and fresher balls. It is hardly surprising that many newcomers hide their heads in the sand at the mere mention of seminars, dissertations, tutorials and further reading. Getting into the swing can take time. It is important within the first week to attempt some sort of choice between various course options available, and to ascertain from the start exactly what you should aim to achieve in the first term and in the first year. Many courses take the form of optional lectures, compulsory tutorials and a series of seminars, practicals and group work, topped off with hefty amounts of independent reading, research and essay writing.
Lectures are perhaps the most awesome form of communication known to humankind.
The main problems with lectures are that firstly, there are too many lecturers who fail to make their lectures informative, structured and entertaining, and secondly, there are too many students who try to write down everything and end up learning nothing. The key to learning through lectures is to view the process as a briefing, or an introduction to a topic. Informal discussions on the topic, with other students over coffee, or even in a relevant seminar, can help clarify the debates in your mind and add different points of view. Tutorials can be even more intimidating. Whether one to one or one to ten, you will find that you will need to read around your subject and do any preparatory work requested for each session.