Stop thinking it’s the make or break of Uni life.
In a few short weeks it’ll be a year since I rolled up to
the University of Bristol, boxes full of gleaming new pots and pans, with bags
full of washi tape to create jazzy designs in my new bedroom. So I thought I’d
mark this anniversary by thinking about what advice I’d give to my Fresher Self
to improve on those first few scary months…
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| My fresher bedroom |
Put less pressure on yourself
Freshers is probably one of the most built up weeks of life
ever. Expectations of socialising, clubbing, drinking… Thinking you’ll find the
New You. When you build anything up this much it’ll always be pretty
anticlimactic. I wish I could tell myself to stop thinking it’s the make or
break of Uni life. There were many many more weeks afterwards where far better
things happened, far more mental clubbing occurred (shout out to Lakota) and
far more valuable friends were made.
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| Spent the entire drive pushing my boxes off me |
Sign Up to Sports
Most people would tell you to go to societies, and I’d agree
it’s a great way to make friends. I signed up to a few but dragged by feet when
it came to team sports, as I’ve never been any good. But the first week is
often when other unsure people will go, making it a good time to trial stuff
without feeling like the only marshmellow on the netball team. (Also places
fill up in sports teams so even if you want to join, you sometimes can’t)
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| Genuinely how I'd imagine netball tryouts. |
Get A Plant. Ok
this is a tad of a random one. I've always wanted a plant in my Uni room, they look so nice and it's like having a less needy pet. But I was so busy at the beginning making sure I got enough water and sunlight that I
couldn’t keep another being alive. By 2nd term it seemed stupid to get
one if I was only gonna kill it come exam time. So yeah, get a plant and give
it a friendly name like Herbert, so you can talk to it when you’re lonely
I mean so you’re more inclined to hydrate it.
Speak to More People.
The most cliché of all fresher’s redo lists. It’s the obvious one, because
everyone wishes they’d socialised more. By the time you get to Christmas or so,
you feel everyone’s in their groups and you can’t change yours, so you’ll
always look back and wish you’d got out there more.
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| Representing. |
But also, don’t get
offended by rude people. There’ll be some people in Freshers who literally
seem to not want to meet anyone new. When you introduce yourself to them they
will seem confused as to why they’d care, AND they don’t even fake a laugh when
you say your name sounds like a jumper. They could just be socially awkward and will warm up to you. But some
people aren’t worth your time. I wish I could go back and reassure myself that
I’m not a complete social potato, and it’s ok to not get on with everyone.
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| Exploring the city's culture is a great way to feel at home and get out of the Uni Bubble |
Explore the city. Getting
to know where you live is probably one of the best ways to feel comfortable in
your new home. Also, it really helps to get out of the Uni Bubble, where it can
sometimes be pretty overwhelming. So I’d recommend grabbing some new friends
and going to a street market, board game cafe or taking in the city’s culture
in a museum. As cringe as that may sound, it’s important to know that a city
isn’t just the university, and a few streets away from your campus is a whole
other world. And when you need time to yourself it’s good to have a favourite
place to go to get some peace and quiet and spend a bit of dolla on a
distressed wooden picture frame for your bedroom (looking at you, Clifton
Arcade).
Stop saying it’s all
amazing. I witnessed something in the first few months of Uni. Everyone
says they are having The Best Time Ever. But often, when it comes to around
January, many people start admitting that they felt lonely or insecure or just
bored with their subject. I think it’s time we started addressing the taboo,
and admitting to friends when things aren’t so great. It’s tough to acknowledge
when uni isn’t all you expected, but chances are your friends will have gone
through something similar.
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| I wish I could tell myself that I would make some great friends here, Freshers isn't the make or break. |
It’ll all be okay,
and soon this will seem like home. It’s all so exciting, but for the first
few months I felt it was a whirlwind and I just could not get a steady grip on
anything. Everything moves so fast and at the beginning you can’t imagine ever
feeling like this is your home. But before you know it, you know the best
clubs, the fastest routes to your lectures, and where to go for late night
binge eating. And then you’re writing a blog a few weeks before second year and
freaking out on a whole other level.
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