So I've just finished my first year at uni. I've no more classes, I've handed in all my final assignments and I've sat my exams. I've even moved out of my accommodation. It's been a whirlwind of a year with many ups and a few downs.
I thought I might share my experiences of the past year and hopefully give any of you starting uni in September a little bit of an insight into what you might expect and a little bit of advice.
Boring one first: register with a GP if you're not living at home anymore. You never know when you might need a doctor so you might as well get yourself registered quickly so that if anything happens, you're covered.
Try to meet as many people as you can in your first few weeks. Even if you don't end up staying best friends with them, you'll at least have someone to go through the awkward settling in stage with and a few familiar faces/names so it doesn't seem quite so scary when you walk into your first lecture and there's 100+ people who you've never met before and you need to find a seat.
Take advantage of the lack of seating plan in (most) classes. Sit beside someone new, chat to them before the class starts/during breaks. You never know who you might meet!
Don't worry too much if you don't find your new best friend during freshers week! The people I met in my first week are not the people I'm closest to now. Honestly, I barely talk to those people except for the odd hello if we happen to walk past each other or an occasional message on Facebook. It can take a bit of time to find the people who you really just 'fit' with and that's ok. It took me a few weeks to become good friends with the girl I'll be living with next year. The guys who are like brothers to me now, I didn't really know all that well until around November/December.
Make friends with people on your course. Bonus points if they're in 2nd/3rd year. They can be a complete lifesaver if you're really stuck with something and need help. (But don't use people! It needs to go both ways. Try to form a genuine friendship, rather than seeing them just as a talking homework guide!!)
Join as many clubs/societies as you can. Even if it's something that at first you don't get super excited about, go along even just once to see what it's like. You might find you really enjoy it! It's also a great chance to meet lots of people with a common interest that you might not have ever met otherwise.
Go to your classes. All of them. Or at least try your best. Just because this year "doesn't count" doesn't mean you can slack off and not do any work at all. Second year will probably build on the things you should have learnt in first year, so if you skip most of them you'll find it a lot harder later. You never know, you might even find some of it interesting. (You did choose this course after all.....)
Be prepared for your halls to be loud at night. There's always someone shouting in the hall at 2:30am. It's like some sort of weird curse. And it'll most likely be when you have a really important 9am the next day. Also be prepared for the loud and messy drunks. Ear plugs and coffee will become your best friends.
The kitchen is going to be a mess. And everything will smell... weird.... There will be month old dishes stashed under the sink and 5 different types of mould in the fridge. Welcome to student accommodation: the place where suddenly there are no mammys to fix and cook and clean everything. If there isn't broken glass on the floor and some surfaces don't have a layer of grease or aren't permanently sticky, be grateful. You will wonder if that stain on the wall is sauce or blood... and if that's curry or vomit in the corner.... You'll hope that it's sauce and curry, but don't get close enough to find out.
Do yourself a favour and learn to cook a few things for yourself. I mean actually cook! Not put pizza in the oven. At the very least know how to make pasta/rice, eggs and bacon - without giving yourself food poisoning/setting anything on fire!
Spend a bit of time getting to know the local area. There's nothing worse than finding yourself unsure of where you are and how to get home in the cold and rain!
Don't take too much with you. You will end up buying more when you're there. Even if you think you wont. And if you're at uni near to home you'll be taking bits and pieces up with you every other week on the train. Trust me. I moved in with maybe 2 car loads of stuff. It's taken me about 3 car loads to move out - with fewer people in the car this time!!
Enjoy yourself (responsibly) and have fun! But remember to relax too. It can be so easy to get caught up in everything that's going on and all your new classes and the assignments and all the things that you want to try out. Take time to step back from everything and just relax for a bit too. You don't need to be busy every second of the day.
Finally, remember that it's ok to not feel so great too. Mental health issues/general feelings of distress are really really common in university students - especially first year students! Don't be afraid to talk about it. Talk to a friend, call your parents, talk to your GP, your tutor, your uni guidance team, residential support, whoever is there that you feel you can talk to. No one is going to judge you if you're feeling a bit down. It really does happen more often than you'd think. And it's better to talk about it now and get it off your chest instead of bottling it up and ending up with a problem, rather than just a not so great feeling.
Good luck with your new adventures ahead, wherever they may be!
Paige x
