Sometimes you need a break from something to realise what you really want to do. I know so many people who have thought uni wasn’t for them, only to be going a couple of years later because they finally felt ready for it. There’s also been a rise of people carrying on education and doing masters after completing their degree, restarting the uni process again. Whatever your situation is, it might be a bit daunting to be starting as a fresher, so here’s a list of some things to expect when going back to uni as a fresher.
Whether this is halls or a student house, you’ll probably be moving into a place with people you don’t know. While this might sound scary, it’s the best way to start to meet new people. You might be lucky and have amazing housemates who will end up being some of your best mates forever, or you might be living with some disgusting slobs who leave their washing up for over a week. Be prepared for both.
The start of university is an exciting time, as you’ll be meeting an endless amount of people all trying to find a group of friends. You might expect that you’re going to meet your best friends straight away, but don’t be surprised if that’s not what happens. You’re going to meet loads of people, so don’t be surprised if you meet people that you don’t like, but don’t let this worry you. It takes time to build friendships, so if you haven’t found your gang within the first week, don’t stress about it!
Now everyone has heard of freshers week. Everyone is doing the same thing, going out, getting drunk and meeting people, so you’re probably going to end up joining in too. You’ll witness every freshers event possible, from a UV paint disco to Krispy Kreme party. While you’re out dancing the night away, remember to try to be responsible with your drinking. It’s tempting with the multiple drinks deals to want to get 8 jägerbombs in a row, but you’ve got a lot of events and you don’t want to overdo it on the first one and end up not going to any others.
It sounds simple enough, but with all the socialising and partying you can easily forget that you’re going back to uni to actually get a degree. Registering at the uni is also important so that you can actually receive your student loan, (and we all know that’s very VERY important) so make sure that you make the time to travel to campus and set yourself up for the next couple of years.
Depending on what course you’re doing, you might have some more contact time compared to other students. Humanities and art courses generally have fewer contact hours than a medical degree, but this doesn’t mean you’re meant to be doing less work. Universities will expect you to be putting in a certain amount of hours outside of lecture time to be doing your own readings and research, meaning you’re going to have to learn how to motivate yourself! It’s easy to think that you’re going to want to always do work for a subject you love, but even if you’re passionate about something, sometimes that lie in and Netflix day is just more tempting. You will also notice the difference in your grades the more work you do, so get studying!
If you’re going back to uni after a couple years of having a break from education, you might be expecting every fresher to be an 18 year old whose experiencing independence for the first time. You’ll be surprised to find that you’ll probably have a lot more people older or around your age that you can connect with. Over the years, the amount of people that are returning to education has risen, meaning you won’t feel like you’re one of the parents to the drunk 18-year-olds in freshers week.
While you’ll have some ups and downs throughout your degree, once you’ve finished and graduated you’ll miss not having any real responsibilities while having the freedom of your own space. Enjoy the best years of your life!
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