How to… Cope with Starting University

Another “How to” post for you all! My first year of university was now three years ago (which is quite scary really!), however I’m lucky enough to have at least two more years to go. I really have loved my time at university, but I know that leaving home to go to uni is terrifying as well as exciting! Hopefully I’ll help settle a few nerves, and maybe you’ll gain a few helpful tips!

Don’t be worried about being nervous

Some people might not show it, but everyone will be a little bit nervous and it’s not a bad thing. For most people it will be their first experience of living away from home on a particularly long term basis, and for some it will be the first experience of having to “fend for themselves”. You may also be panicking about making friends and whether or not you’ll actually enjoy the course. I certainly did. I was terrified that I’d made the wrong decision; that I was actually going to find out I was terrible at Physics and that everyone would hate me. It wasn’t true, but these feelings are natural. Just don’t let them consume you and spoil the (hopefully) excited feelings too – university is a brilliant experience for the vast majority of people and to enjoy it fully you can’t let yourself worry too much.

Take as many of the opportunities available to you as you can

University will present many opportunities to you that you’ve never had before. This will range from all sorts of societies to other events hosted by your university. Going to lectures for other subjects, attending talks on topics that interest you, checking out some local or student talent at gig nights or giving something completely new to you a try will not only be fun, it really gets you involved. Your first year at university will be challenging (and most likely tiring) but you want to be able to look back on a fantastic year, so if that means stepping out of your comfort zone and saying yes to trying things you wouldn’t have before – why not give it a go? However don’t overwhelm yourself – you have got a degree to do as well!

Enjoy meeting new people

You will meet so many people during your first week at university – some of whom you will never speak to again! I was so shy before I went to university but realised quickly that talking to people and pushing myself to introduce myself and to be friendly to everyone was the best way forwards. Trying to meet as many people as you can means you find the people who you want to be friends with sooner. Don’t limit yourself to your corridor or flat, try and meet people at other social events. A good tip is to find yourself another person to go around with, approaching people as a pair is less daunting, and being able to make an introduction is a good conversation starter! Remembering names can be a challenge too but don’t be afraid to ask people for their name again (well unless you’ve asked loads of times before!) – I used to go back to my room and jot down names and a fact about them just to try and remember them in the future (it worked too!) You will also meet so many different types of people, so don’t expect everyone to be like people you already know. University brings together people from all over the world, with vastly different life experiences. This makes it really interesting to get to know people, but can also be challenging as you may be forced to a) meet people who you never want to speak to again or b) force you to reconsider assumptions you may have made about people before. However treat every new introduction as an opportunity to make a friend and you should have a great time! Meeting new people can also be a great way to challenge yourself to try new things – why not go along with your new friend and try that martial arts class they were talking about? It could be fun!

Top tip: Common conversation starters are “What are you studying?”, “Which halls/ college are you in?” and “Whereabouts in the country are you from?”. These questions get pretty tiring pretty quickly so try and get to know people by asking other questions too and starting a conversation from there. Ask them about their hobbies, whether they plan to try anything new whilst at university, what have they enjoyed at uni so far etc.

Be yourself

University is a great time to try new things, but this doesn’t mean you have to change who you are completely! I got to university and was able to feel more confident in myself as I was surrounded by people who were like me – I was no longer immediately stereotyped as the awkward nerdy “good girl” and so could really be me! So I changed, but it was more about becoming the person I’d tried to hide away which was lovely. But as a warning – don’t turn yourself into someone else. You have to be honest with yourself about who you are and who you want to be. If you don’t want to go out drinking every night – that’s fine! If you don’t know whether you are in with a crowd of people you don’t want to be – be brave and find someone new! You’ll have a much better time in the long run if you’re not keeping up a pretense, and you’ll find your closest friends too by showing the world who you really are and what you are really interested in.

Stay safe and healthy

Make sure you take care of yourself. University does present challenges, some as trivial as surviving your first bout of Fresher’s Flu (as you mingle with everyone elses germs – yuck!) to others that are much more important like getting home safely in a new city after your first night out. Find out who you can go to or call for help, make sure you follow and guidance given to you and stay safe! Take advantage of anything that makes you feel safer too, be it paying a bit extra for a taxi to make sure you don’t have to walk home by yourself or seeing if you can get a free personal alarm from your university welfare service. Most people are fine, but you don’t want to risk it! Also your first few weeks will be hectic, but make sure you take some time for yourself and make sure you don’t completely run yourself down otherwise you’ll probably not make the best start to your actual degree course. Another good tip is to make your room your own when you get there, and don't leave your unpacking too late. It will save you time in the long run and gives you a nice space to retreat to when you need your own space!

Overall though, have an amazing time. I’ve loved my time at university and I wish any Freshers the best of luck! 

In the summertime...

Cor blimey I’m still so busy! Never mind this idea that it’s the holidays… As I mentioned last time I’m working away at my job as a room attendant in a hotel – such hard work! I’ve always been amazed at the job cleaners do but never have I had more respect for the tough work they do daily. At least it’s going to keep me fit even if I silently curse all of the people who leave hotel rooms in such an appalling state. At least it pays the bills!

I thought I’d do a post on summer holidays as a student. We get such a huge amount of time off each year (term ends in July and we only start back again in October!) so how do we manage to fill it? Well over the years I’ve done a few different things…

Post exam madness

Exams (at least in Durham) finish roughly a month before the end of term, which is fantastic. This gives you a long space of time to basically just relax and have fun. Whilst there are a few bits and bobs to sort out (like module registration, occasionally some extra lectures or a project just to start on the next year’s work a little bit early) as well of the dreaded results day of course, most of the time is your own. During this time I usually

·      Travel with friends to various places around the area such as Newcastle, Northumbrian coast, York, Edinburgh and many more!

·      Survive the feat that is Summer Ball (6pm to 6am with all sorts of amazing activities like dodgems, ceilidhs at 3am and so much food!)

·      Have loads of fun at college days, Beer fests and other uni events

·      BBQ’s, parties, walks, concerts, sitting around in the sun, bar crawls and loads of other cool stuff with friends!

Summer Ball, Edinburgh and the Beach! Typical summer time fun :D

Working

Obviously one of the most sensible things to do is getting a job – it gives you some more funds on top of the meagre amount from student finance for the next year and often means you can actually afford some more fun stuff during the holiday. There are a few options for work during holidays though:

·      Paid internship – get experience in your subject/ try a possible career path out whilst getting paid! This can range from doing research to actually being a paid member of staff. Last summer I was lucky enough to be one of the Ogden Trust’s Teach Physics interns – I worked in a science department of a secondary school for a month. It was an AMAZING experience which I thoroughly enjoyed, teaching and helping out in lessons and generally experiencing what it is like to work in a school. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone!

·      Summer job – trying to find a temporary job can be hard. Often businesses don’t want staff for such a short amount of time, however looking for work in seasonal areas is often your best bet. Have a look through normal job websites and apply for as many as possible. Experience is a must though – if you’ve never had a job before try and think of other things you have done that you can write down to show you have the skills they need. But then only go for a job that you will actually do – check that it meets the minimum wage and offers you the amount of hours you want. But also be prepared to try your hand at anything if you really want work! They’re often not as bad as you think they’ll be!

·      Seasonal work abroad – this is an excellent idea if you want to travel. There are lots of agencies that can place you doing seasonal work in resorts, as au pairs or in holiday camps. This summer I was all set up to go out to California to work as a Lead Instructor in an educational science camp, however unfortunately the visa process became complicated as I had been hired for a position that was more responsibility than the visa sponsor could allow for a student visa. However it is definitely something I plan to look in to in coming years as would have been a great experience! Look at various agencies, but also do some research. I got my job from sending a speculative CV so it’s worth searching!

·      Work experience – great for adding to your CV. I did a week in the NHS in Newcastle which confirmed my idea that medical physics is a route I would like to follow. It was great to get a real idea of what the job is like – and again I just found someone to contact and asked about work experience and ended up being offered the week and more if I wanted it! Asking politely gets you many good things!

Volunteering

I have often also used my summers to do some volunteering. In 2012 I volunteered as a Housekeeper at the Paralympic games, with all my wages donated to KISS, a Ugandan children’s charity that is very close to my heart. It was loads of fun as there was a whole group of us who did it, and we got some great experiences of the Paralympics – meeting the athletes briefly and seeing the park! Plus we knew that our work was supporting vulnerable children which made it so worthwhile. This summer I am volunteering at Camp Quest, a summer camp for children that aims to encourage them to explore the world in a rational, critical and creative way. It’s going to be fantastic – we have such great activities planned!

Housekeeping team at the Paralympics... Such Fun!

Travelling

Finally – a holiday wouldn’t be complete without some travel. Being at uni is great as you meet people from all over the place so can travel far and wide visiting them, and travel with them exploring new places. As well as visiting lots of different places in the UK, there are such good opportunities to travel the world. Often there are cheaper rates available for students, but also if you’re willing to travel in inventive ways you can get to great places for much less than the usual cost. Travelling outside of the school holiday period also makes the rates cheaper and the locations less busy so it’s a brilliant opportunity to take! Last year I travelled to Lake Garda, Milan, Verona and Venice which was amazing, and this year I’m off to the spectacular island Sardinia to enjoy the clear turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and the deepest gorge in Europe! Take the opportunities while they’re there and go see some amazing places!

Venice last year and where I'm off to this year - I love holidays!