[emilie18]

I'm off to uni in September, and although I've been preparing since last year (UCAS, exams, finance, etc), it's kind of only just hit me that in a few months (weeks!) time I'll be moving out and living on my own with a bucnh of strangers. And I am kind of freaking out

I am excited, don't get me wrong, but I've recently started to feel really nervous about the whole thing too. Is my course 100% right, will I meet nice people, will I get ok grades, etc etc.



So basically I am just seeking reassurance from people - is the first term at uni really bad, in terms of adjusting to a completely new life?

[Chronoscon]

All I can say is that I sympathise with you there. I'm in exactly the same situation, and although you may feel to be fretting more than others, I highly doubt others don't have the same concerns as you, they may just be a bit better at hiding them.

Don't worry about the first year - from what I know they make sure that the first year exams aren't hugely paramount in the success of your degree overall - they factor in the need for you to get settled in a new phase of life, so I don't think you will find everything overwhelming all at the same time.

Also the biggest thing that helped me out was that I knew everyone else would be in the same situation as me, so people are easier to make friends with, theres less cliques and long-lasting friendship groups, so isolation is unlikely.

You're definitely not alone there though - I have visions of making no friends, and walking around for freshers week on my own while everyone else seems to have paired up themselves. I'd say just find a nice enough group of people and stick with them for the first few weeks. True friendship will prevail and soon enough you'll be left with a nice small (or large) group of close friends with similar interests.

Don't worry! and Good Luck with the exams!

[thelooby94]

(Original post by emilie18)
I'm off to uni in September, and although I've been preparing since last year (UCAS, exams, finance, etc), it's kind of only just hit me that in a few months (weeks!) time I'll be moving out and living on my own with a bucnh of strangers. And I am kind of freaking out

I am excited, don't get me wrong, but I've recently started to feel really nervous about the whole thing too. Is my course 100% right, will I meet nice people, will I get ok grades, etc etc.



So basically I am just seeking reassurance from people - is the first term at uni really bad, in terms of adjusting to a completely new life?

Which uni are you going to? I'm going in september, my twin is going too but I'm still nervous xD

[emilie18]

(Original post by thelooby94)
Which uni are you going to? I'm going in september, my twin is going too but I'm still nervous xD

Aston (in Birmingham). You?
Haha I am also a twin! Oh are you two going to the same uni? That must be so nice knowing they're there - I'm really gonna miss mine!

[tdkr]

(Original post by emilie18)
I'm off to uni in September, and although I've been preparing since last year (UCAS, exams, finance, etc), it's kind of only just hit me that in a few months (weeks!) time I'll be moving out and living on my own with a bucnh of strangers. And I am kind of freaking out

I am excited, don't get me wrong, but I've recently started to feel really nervous about the whole thing too. Is my course 100% right, will I meet nice people, will I get ok grades, etc etc.



So basically I am just seeking reassurance from people - is the first term at uni really bad, in terms of adjusting to a completely new life?

what course will you be doing ?

[emilie18]

(Original post by Chronoscon)
All I can say is that I sympathise with you there. I'm in exactly the same situation, and although you may feel to be fretting more than others, I highly doubt others don't have the same concerns as you, they may just be a bit better at hiding them.

Don't worry about the first year - from what I know they make sure that the first year exams aren't hugely paramount in the success of your degree overall - they factor in the need for you to get settled in a new phase of life, so I don't think you will find everything overwhelming all at the same time.

Also the biggest thing that helped me out was that I knew everyone else would be in the same situation as me, so people are easier to make friends with, theres less cliques and long-lasting friendship groups, so isolation is unlikely.

You're definitely not alone there though - I have visions of making no friends, and walking around for freshers week on my own while everyone else seems to have paired up themselves. I'd say just find a nice enough group of people and stick with them for the first few weeks. True friendship will prevail and soon enough you'll be left with a nice small (or large) group of close friends with similar interests.

Don't worry! and Good Luck with the exams!

Thanks! Yeah, loads of people seem really chilled about it, I guess you're probably right that they're just better at hiding it

AGHH I have the same vision, which is completely irrational because I have plenty of friends and am fairly sociable, but the image still scares me ha!

Thanks, good luck to you too!

[emilie18]

(Original post by tdkr)
what course will you be doing ?

International Business with French, plus Spanish as an extra language. I go through stages of thinking "YES! This is the perfect degree for me!" to "Aghhhhrrrr have I made the right choice..?"

[thelooby94]

(Original post by emilie18)
Aston (in Birmingham). You?
Haha I am also a twin! Oh are you two going to the same uni? That must be so nice knowing they're there - I'm really gonna miss mine!

Ooh nice I'm going to Cardiff, my twin is too

why is your twin not going? I couldn't go without mine haha

[Chronoscon]

(Original post by emilie18)
International Business with French, plus Spanish as an extra language. I go through stages of thinking "YES! This is the perfect degree for me!" to "Aghhhhrrrr have I made the right choice..?"

Degrees are so flexible that you can always decide to change courses, or add or takeaway different elements of a course during different years. Particularly ones like 'International Business with french - I imagine there are plenty of optional modules that you can pick and choose to suit your tastes (or needs for different jobs )

[miser]

Your first term will be fairly easy I imagine, if it's anything like my degree was. On my degree, the whole of the first year wasn't particularly difficult, and also didn't contribute any credits to the final grade upon course completion; the whole thing was a pass/fail affair.

[emilie18]

(Original post by thelooby94)
Ooh nice I'm going to Cardiff, my twin is too

why is your twin not going? I couldn't go without mine haha

Aw I am pretty jealous, I'd love to be at the same uni as my twin! We fight a lot but I can't imagine not seeing him every day
He's off to Gloucester uni and I'm off to Aston so we're not TOO far from each other, but it still makes me sad!

Are you both doing the same course or different courses?

[emilie18]

(Original post by Chronoscon)
Degrees are so flexible that you can always decide to change courses, or add or takeaway different elements of a course during different years. Particularly ones like 'International Business with french - I imagine there are plenty of optional modules that you can pick and choose to suit your tastes (or needs for different jobs )

True, thanks

[emilie18]

(Original post by miser)
Your first term will be fairly easy I imagine, if it's anything like my degree was. On my degree, the whole of the first year wasn't particularly difficult, and also didn't contribute any credits to the final grade upon course completion; the whole thing was a pass/fail affair.

I'm fairly academic, so it's not the workload or anything that bothers me the most, it's more the adjusting to life without my family part... But thank you anyway.

[roh]

It's pretty hard on your liver

In all seriousness it is weird moving away from your family and so on but everyone's in the same boat and you soon make friends from either your halls, course, sports and societies or likely all 3

You'll learn to love the freedom, for most people in the first 5 seconds for others a bit longer, but Freshers' is there to facilitate making friendships fast and by and large it seems to work.

[thelooby94]

(Original post by emilie18)
Aw I am pretty jealous, I'd love to be at the same uni as my twin! We fight a lot but I can't imagine not seeing him every day
He's off to Gloucester uni and I'm off to Aston so we're not TOO far from each other, but it still makes me sad!

Are you both doing the same course or different courses?

Aww I think I would have just followed my twin xD haha I'm the follower

Yeah we're both doing pharmacy haha what course ar you doing?

[sr90]

(Original post by emilie18)
I'm off to uni in September, and although I've been preparing since last year (UCAS, exams, finance, etc), it's kind of only just hit me that in a few months (weeks!) time I'll be moving out and living on my own with a bucnh of strangers. And I am kind of freaking out

I am excited, don't get me wrong, but I've recently started to feel really nervous about the whole thing too. Is my course 100% right, will I meet nice people, will I get ok grades, etc etc.



So basically I am just seeking reassurance from people - is the first term at uni really bad, in terms of adjusting to a completely new life?

I'll be honest, my first term was absolutely ****. Living independently, studying my course etc was fine it was just the social side really. I enjoyed Freshers and met plenty of people but i wasn't particularly close to any of them and felt really lonely at times. But everyone told me it would get better and it has. Second term started off well and went from there, and the third has been absolutely amazing.

What i'm baically saying is don't panic if you don't settle in instantly. I didn't but now i love it here.

[purplestar8]

(Original post by emilie18)
I'm off to uni in September, and although I've been preparing since last year (UCAS, exams, finance, etc), it's kind of only just hit me that in a few months (weeks!) time I'll be moving out and living on my own with a bucnh of strangers. And I am kind of freaking out

I am excited, don't get me wrong, but I've recently started to feel really nervous about the whole thing too. Is my course 100% right, will I meet nice people, will I get ok grades, etc etc.



So basically I am just seeking reassurance from people - is the first term at uni really bad, in terms of adjusting to a completely new life?

that's exactly how i felt before going but as long as you have a good group of friends around you, you'll enjoy yourself (providing the course is right for you)
if you put in enough work, you'll get good grades
most of us live off last minute revision but if you get some kind of study group it helps to motivate each other
first year grades don't count so it's time to see what study method is best for you and gives you time to adjust

[emilie18]

(Original post by thelooby94)
Aww I think I would have just followed my twin xD haha I'm the follower

Yeah we're both doing pharmacy haha what course ar you doing?

Aw that's sweet and totally understandable! I'd love it if we were in the same uni but at the same time, I know we need to get our own lives someday and uni seems like a good place to start even if it is sad!

Ah that's cool, imagine if you end up working together haha!

I'm doing International Business with French, and Spanish as an extra language. My brother's doing Journalism so yeah, totally different courses!

[emilie18]

(Original post by sr90)
I'll be honest, my first term was absolutely ****. Living independently, studying my course etc was fine it was just the social side really. I enjoyed Freshers and met plenty of people but i wasn't particularly close to any of them and felt really lonely at times. But everyone told me it would get better and it has. Second term started off well and went from there, and the third has been absolutely amazing.

What i'm baically saying is don't panic if you don't settle in instantly. I didn't but now i love it here.

I appreciate your honesty! The social side is what I'm worried about most I think... But thanks, you've really helped.

Now that you've mentioned Freshers, I've been wondering, what actually happens in that week...?

[MagicNMedicine]

sr90 is right, it can take a while to really find the right group of friends. For me it was really in second year that I made my best friends from uni. First term you might end up hanging round people you don't have that much in common with.

Freshers Week is basically a load of nights out and then some things you have to do at uni, go to pre course meetings, find out your timetable etc.

Although everyone goes on about how great the nights out are, to be honest nights out are better after Freshers Week. I think Freshers can be a bit overwhelming especially for people that are a bit quiet, the nights out are ram busy and noisy. I did more 'socialising' as in meeting new people, getting to know them, in the daytime in Freshers week, at night it was more go out with my flatmates and queue for 20 min a time at the bar, then stand around not bothering to talk as it was too noisy, then getting the bus home. Then in the day when people were hanging around the halls etc thats where its easier to meet people and actually talk and make friends.