A Note to All Freshers

I’ve spoken at length numerous times about university life. Be it what I learned in first year, how loneliness can impact you at uni and my experience of freshers’ week – I have covered all bases. But, as freshers’ week begins for some, and concludes for others, here’s my note to all freshers out there.

First off, good luck. Good luck to you heading on this amazing journey at university. If you’ve moved away from home, good luck learning to cope alone and learning to live with others. If you’re living at home, good luck motivating yourself while existing in the same surroundings while your friends have gone off elsewhere. It’s not easy (any of it), so remember that.

While luck is an element of things at university, so is willpower. The one thing I can say I have truly gained from university is realising how important it is to be strong. Things don’t always go to plan, and people aren’t always who you thought they were, so don’t let that destroy everything. Besides, you can’t. £9,250 a year is far too expensive to let anything ruin your experience completely, right?

One thing I would say in this note to freshers is to know your worth. This time of great change brings about people from all walks of life, who inevitably have different views on things and experiences in life. Some have never been through hardship; some have had plenty of it. You may feel inclined to try others’ way of life – and that’s fine. But don’t feel as though you have to do anything that diminishes your self-worth, or doesn’t fit truly with who you are as an individual. It’s okay to grow – in fact, it’s great – but it’s not okay to forget who you are.

Finally, here’s the lasting thing I want all freshers to take away from this note. University might not be the best three years of your life. I’m not saying this to scare you, I’m saying it to save you in the long run. It might turn out to be tough, and you might wonder why everyone built it up so much. However, it is still do-able. It is all still possible. Your future is still yours. And nobody can take this away from you – unless you let them.

So, a note to all freshers: this year is yours. Make of it what you will, and what you can. Don’t forget who you are, or your friends back home. You won’t be the same leaving first year as you were walking in. Keep your head about you and you’ll be fine. It is all part of life’s journey.

Good luck.