For all those at university, how do you find uni life rn??

for me uni is 2-3 years away so things might change, but i'm a keen learner so how is life at university, how do you make friends, cope with work and cope with a budget??

any comments would be highly appreciated!!!!

Hi there

It's great to see that you're interested in university. I'm in my final year of my Psychology degree at Kent so I'm hoping that I can give you a bit of an insight as to what university life is like. First of all every year (1st/2nd/3rd/4th) and course is different so experiences vary quite a lot. In terms of coping with work it can sometimes be difficult and it definitely takes some getting used to. My honest advice is to create a routine that works for you. For example some people work better in the morning so they would likely benefit from a routine that involves waking up early, working, having lunch and then resting or doing a fun activity in the afternoon/evening. Likewise I have many friends who are night owls and they go to the library until 2/3am. The best part about uni is that you have the independence to work when you want and how you want and that goes the same for most other things. So my advice with learning how to cope with the workload is to not compare yourself to other people and create your own work routine that keep you productive.

In terms of making friends, there are many ways to do this at uni. Every year there is a freshers/welcome week where the uni and usually bars/clubs in the local town/city host numerous events for students to get to know each other. These events can range from themed club nights, bingo, board game nights, karaoke, arts and craft etc. The best part about freshers week is that everyone else is in the same position as you so they too will be looking to make friends. There is also a fresher fair where societies promote and recruit members. Societies are clubs that you can join at uni and there are often many to choose from e.g. sports, film, cocktail club, different cultures, kayaking, painting, charity etc. You can browse some examples of some of the societies we have at Kent here: https://kentunion.co.uk/activities
Naturally you will meet people in your student accommodation, lectures, seminars, on nights out, at events hosted by the uni etc. There is no real right or wrong time to make friends throughout your time at uni.

Budgeting can be difficult, especially with the cost of living crisis. I personally found budgeting tips and tricks through the student room, youtube and other social media platforms. My top tip is to choose wisely where you do your weekly shop. Places like Aldi, Lidl, Home bargains and B&M can be a lot more student friendly than other supermarkets. Dupes and essentials ranges can also save you a ton of money and most of them taste exactly like the branded stuff. Everyone will have a different budget at uni so it really depends how much you set yourself a week. I found that a spreadsheet was really useful at helping me track my spending and find ways to cut down on unnecessary thing e.g. spending money on takeaways.

Hope this helps

Best wishes

Joanna
-Uni of Kent Rep

for me uni is 2-3 years away so things might change, but i'm a keen learner so how is life at university, how do you make friends, cope with work and cope with a budget??

any comments would be highly appreciated!!!!

for me uni is 2-3 years away so things might change, but i'm a keen learner so how is life at university, how do you make friends, cope with work and cope with a budget??

any comments would be highly appreciated!!!!

My life now after 2 years is much better than it was at the beginning.

for me uni is 2-3 years away so things might change, but i'm a keen learner so how is life at university, how do you make friends, cope with work and cope with a budget??

any comments would be highly appreciated!!!!

for me uni is 2-3 years away so things might change, but i'm a keen learner so how is life at university, how do you make friends, cope with work and cope with a budget??

any comments would be highly appreciated!!!!

i'm on placement year right now- joined uni in september 2020 so many restrictions were in place and in general my mh was pretty poor in first year for a lot of reasons. now, i'm loving uni life and the house i'm living in. i live with a lovely group of people and have also found a good circle of friends in church, work and in my course. the increased independence is great but doesn't come without its challenges sometimes! the main thing i do is a spending tracker so i can see what i'm spending most of my money on

That is a very good question and there are a lot of things I wish I knew too before going to university back then too . I am afraid there is not a real simple answer as a lot of it can depend on different experiences. Personally, I am a first year student myself and have had my natural highs and lows with university so far, but it still has been a lot of fun. However, I think you can still have a lot of fun If you are going into halls, then there is no easy way of saying it is a luck of the draw. Some people are lucky enough to get on right away with their flat mates, others might have spats or not get on with everyone, but it is pretty normal. Commuting can be a mixed experience too but it is still possible to make friends. Making friends at Uni can be a little hard at first but the big thing is being open to talking to a lot of different people. A lot of people think they will make friends straight away during fresher's week and while some people are lucky enough to do so, it is important to remember it is okay if you do not gel with someone or do not feel comfortable around them too. You will likely see people gathering in big groups at first, but just remember not many of them will likely stick together by the ending of the first semester and it is natural to feel a bit lonely at times too. My big heads up ( even as someone who is naturally introverted) is make an effort to go along and talk to people at societies and in lectures too. I have met a lot of my friends just by approaching them, asking their name and then realizing we have a lot in common when we begin talking .


A routine can depend a lot on your course, your contact hours and demands etc. The big thing to say pretty universally is that your course will likely detail if first year will affect your grade. In most cases, it will only be five or ten percent, or, will not count at all, meaning that first year is often a good opportunity to have some fun, begin understanding what your course is about, revision techniques before the work starts ramping up. Your day will likely vary a lot depending on what you are taking from people taking other courses, which can often mean you have a lot of free time in between. I know a fair few people who do work in between this hours, or alternatively, have taken a year out to gather money to live off for their first year and will do more work during the summer. Getting lonely is not weird either even if you have big friend groups and it can be hard initially to shake it off. My big tip is try and keep yourself occupied during these times; study, clean, try cooking something healthy for dinner, take some time out, do something like or just go for a run or walk. It depends a lot on how you can balance it. It is good to try and get into good habits in first year though, and, trying to get a good balance between work, uni and social life can be really difficult at first. The one thing I will say is do not get too hung up in first year over marks. You will do well on some essays, and not so well on others. It is normal but the big thing is learning from your mistakes, talking to your personal tutor and lecturers too. On this note, I would say even in first year, try to keep a good relationship with your lecturers and tutor as it can make a world of difference on trying to understand things.


I hope that helps .

Hi there

It's great to see that you're interested in university. I'm in my final year of my Psychology degree at Kent so I'm hoping that I can give you a bit of an insight as to what university life is like. First of all every year (1st/2nd/3rd/4th) and course is different so experiences vary quite a lot.

Hi, since you do psychology, I wanted to ask you a question.
How do you do so well in these Psychology essays and reports since marking is so SO SO so subjective.

for me uni is 2-3 years away so things might change, but i'm a keen learner so how is life at university, how do you make friends, cope with work and cope with a budget??

any comments would be highly appreciated!!!!