The transition from sixth form, or college, to your new place of study can seem daunting. I’ve been in your shoes; I’ve taken my GCSEs, my A-Levels and have now graduated from university. After lugging everything I owned halfway across the country, I arrived at university a complete rookie. I’d done zero research and felt like ‘Where’s Wally?’ in the middle of a very wild safari park. I was the very definition of a fresher. It was loud, it was busy, and it felt somewhat overwhelming.
But once I found my feet, it was incredible.
I started off my university life with a positive, can-do attitude, behaving like a social butterfly who got stuck into everything and anything – despite actually wanting to or not. Not long after moving in to my 16-bed shared flat, I realised that I just had to be myself. Everyone else was in the same boat, and every individual around you is feeling just as anxious, if not more so, about the idea of starting the next chapter in life. I wouldn’t change my university experience for anything. The only thing I wished I’d done is some proper research before that nerve-racking first day. At university you become extremely independent, so why not start your independent research before you arrive?
To help, here are 10 things you should know about university life. I hope this will help to ease you into what may be one of the most significant changes in your life so far.
1. You’re in charge!
The first point I’d like to make is that you’re in charge of your degree. Outside of your scheduled lectures and seminars, you’re the one who decides whether to carry on studying or whether to spend the rest of your day relaxing. Every decision made is your own; you fuel your own desires, your own dreams, your own future. Yes, you have the support of academic staff, friends and family, but you make the ultimate decisions. So, you have to organise your free time accordingly, especially if you’re a social butterfly like myself. Are you going to be the student who starts their assignment weeks in advance, or the student who pulls an all-nighter before a 10am deadline?
2. Diversity is everywhere
Whether you’re used to living in a small town or a big city, university is where you will meet people from all over the world. For most of us, university is where we start our adult life and our eyes begin to widen to the different cultures, religions, values, and morals around us. Those with travel experience will have the opportunity to reconnect with countries that they may have loved and left, cultures they respect and miss. Everyone is different and all universities are different, but every university is both inclusive and diverse – so, everyone can find somewhere to fit in.
