It made complete sense to me to distance myself from that: if I didn’t hang out with anyone, I wouldn’t have to be confronted with my own inferiority. It’s a nice idea in theory, but unfortunately your mind doesn’t let you get away from things that easily. As you’d probably expect, spending time alone only exacerbated these feelings, and I felt myself sigh with relief when we were sent home because of Covid.
I don’t look back at my first year with fond memories, but it’s not all doom and gloom. The things I got wrong three years ago have enabled me to utilise university life and all it has to offer.
The biggest part of university that makes all the difference is your friends. My closest friends aren’t the people I lived with in first year, nor are they people I met in Freshers’ Week, so if you’re thinking there’s something wrong with you because you haven’t found your group of people yet, don’t worry, there’s plenty of time – you’ve not even finished your first semester yet!
It might sound obvious, but is often overlooked: studying a subject you love is so important
My course was also something that really made me remember what university is all about. My passion for my degree meant that I had something else to focus my attention onto when I wasn’t feeling particularly happy, and it’s something that, thankfully, has remained with me over the years. It might sound obvious, but is often overlooked: studying a subject you love is so important.
Finally, the societies I joined solved myriad problems I had. The Modern Languages Society allowed me to meet people with shared interests, while The Courier (shameless plug) gave me a newfound passion and a really relaxing and enjoyable way to spend my time. Take the time to try out different societies and sports clubs; I assure you there’s something for everyone.
Elsa Tarring- Head of Current Affairs
There are many things that I wish I knew when I started university. I had glamorised it so much in my head that any experience would struggle to live up to my expectations, especially during the covid years. Although I was blessed with an amazing group of people, there were many times that I felt lonely and that I wasn’t making the most out of university life. It’s a fear that we’ve all had. FOMO ruled over my life with an iron fist but if I could shake the insecurity out of that girl I would because she didn’t need to feel that way.
University is about balance and I managed that, in my own disorganised, messy way
The work was hard at first, but the leap from A-Level to university always is. Maybe I would tell myself to worry less and read more. Tell myself to be more organised, keep that folder, print out my notes but in the long run, I don’t think that would change anything, and I don’t think I’d want it to. University is about balance and I managed that, in my own disorganised, messy way. I had fun, I got drunk, I laughed but, in the morning, I got up, I got dressed and I opened my computer and I worked as hard as I could. I didn’t always get firsts and I would be so frustrated. That 69% at the end of the year felt like a kick in the gut, despite my lecturers praising me for a job well done, but if I didn’t struggle, I might have given up.
So, in short, yes, I would go back but not to warn, prevent, or change, but to reassure. I have grown so much over the past three years and will only continue to do so because that girl who packed her bags, and who endured all the fresher’s small talk pushed herself and created an amazing life full of great experiences and people who care about her.
Molly Jackson- Lifestyle sub-editor
Firstly, I’ve learned that university is not like school, in that it is really nice to get your results back from an exam or an essay and not feel as though you have to share them straight away with your classmates. For me, as I live with people who do all kinds of different degrees, I don’t feel forced to compare myself academically to my peers.
Also, I’ve found that your degree is your own and it is definitely what you make it. This is quite intimidating at first, but especially in second and third year, it feels freeing to be able to specialise in aspects of your degree that interest you the most – this, of course, depends on what degree your are studying.
Another piece of advice I would give myself in first year is to just enjoy it. University can be really hard and stressful, but ultimately it is such a great time to learn new things that you might never have encountered before, and to find out what you love to learn about.
Lizzie Yockney- Fashion & Beauty sub-editor