There is so much hype surrounding university. It begins at home, once you have got your acceptance letter, with friends and families psyching up your soon-to-come independence and then, with the excessive amounts of group chats (for halls, course and sports) made by fellow students that you do not even know. The pre-university build up can feel like a campaign of propaganda, bombarding you with exciting opportunities, so much so, that you build up such high expectations for what your university experience should be like.
And then, the day comes when your parents have run out of faffing around to do in the decoration of your new room and so, they take leave of you in this new chapter of your life. This is when the reality sets in. With the flood of meeting new faces, environments and ways of doing things, comes the sudden realisation that you are no longer that big fish in a small pond at home (where you know everyone and everything), and you are now a little fish in a very big University Park pond.
This is what I found daunting about my first few weeks at university. You are pushed out of your comfort zone and thrown into the deep end! As overwhelming as this may sound, it should not scare you; it is such an exciting time in your life and transitioning into this big pond allows you the space to grow. Embrace the transition and make the most of it. You’ll be surprised at how much having to make new friends and adapting to your surroundings allows you to learn about yourself.
However, do not feel sad or worried if this adjustment to university life does not happen instantly! The first few weeks of university can be difficult; I felt the pressure to be doing something fun every minute of the day in order to live up to my expectations, but of course this is not the case! I will be the first to say that fresher’s week is the most inaccurately hyped up part of first year. When I look back at my fresher’s week, I remember trying to keep up with going out every night with people I hardly knew, and now, I do not even talk to half of these people. Everything does not fall into place in the first week of university. Friendships, routine and your sense of comfort takes time to develop and that is okay! Do not be daunted by the big pond, stay afloat and I promise you will start swimming eventually.