Very shy to start uni come 18th September.

Hi I'm starting a postgrad at QMUL. I'm very nervous about making a fool of myself. I won't know how to navigate the campus. I've never had friends since college. I got bullied at undergrad but things improved in third year and I got along with others in my lectures/classes. I'll be studying part-time btw, so I won't have the regular social life FT students have. I've forced myself to join a couple societies since I didn't at my undergrad. I'm hoping to make new friends. But now that starting uni is near the idea is daunting.

Hi I'm starting a postgrad at QMUL. I'm very nervous about making a fool of myself. I won't know how to navigate the campus. I've never had friends since college. I got bullied at undergrad but things improved in third year and I got along with others in my lectures/classes. I'll be studying part-time btw, so I won't have the regular social life FT students have. I've forced myself to join a couple societies since I didn't at my undergrad. I'm hoping to make new friends. But now that starting uni is near the idea is daunting.

Hi I'm starting a postgrad at QMUL. I'm very nervous about making a fool of myself. I won't know how to navigate the campus. I've never had friends since college. I got bullied at undergrad but things improved in third year and I got along with others in my lectures/classes. I'll be studying part-time btw, so I won't have the regular social life FT students have. I've forced myself to join a couple societies since I didn't at my undergrad. I'm hoping to make new friends. But now that starting uni is near the idea is daunting.

How did you get into postgrad? What were your grades and application process like?!

Hey!

I'm really sorry to hear you had a difficult experience during your undergrad. But please don't worry about navigating the campus/making a fool of yourself; there will be a lot of others in the same position, especially in the first few weeks, so you won't be the only one struggling. There's also no harm in asking people for help! I've personally been at Kent for 5 years and still don't know where certain rooms/buildings are, so please don't worry about that aspect of things!

In terms of studying part-time, you should still be able to meet people on your course; postgrad courses tend to be much smaller and closer-knit groups and since you're studying a more narrow subject at postgrad, you should be able to meet more like-minded people. I personally found I made closer friends during my master's than my undergrad, as you see the same group of people all the time. Whilst I wasn't a part-time student myself, we still made friends with other part-time students as they were still in a lot of the same classes! You'll also have 2 years to make friends as a part-time student as you'll meet 2 different FT cohorts, so don't feel you need to rush into friendships either! Starting societies is also a good idea, especially as there will be many new people in the same situation. I'd definitely recommend going to the freshers fair as well to meet all the different societies and see where you may fit best

I would also recommend looking into other networking opportunities offered by the university - e.g. some unis have meet-ups for commuting students, part-time students .etc!


Best of luck with everything & don't put too much pressure on yourself!

Natalie
University of Kent Student Rep

Don't force it. Expect things to be quiet socially at the beginning and focus on cheerfully doing the party-of-one thing. New starts feel strange no matter what. Accept it, and quietly explore. If you let things happen naturally over time you'll end up with friends you genuinely look forward to seeing and who are an actual 'fit' for you, rather than a random social circle you feel you have to keep up with/maintain.

2.1 undergrad was the grade requirement which I met. Application process was Queen Mary's MySIS portal which consisted of personal statement, references, personal info, undergrad grade and my CV. I waited for 8 weeks before getting an unconditional offer on the portal.

Wow! This is amazing. What kind of experience did you have in terms of jobs? If you do not want to reveal your degree then it's okay, I understand you.

Thank you! In terms of jobs I had a few years of IT support experience and a couple retail jobs.

hello there, thank you so much for answering my questions!! The way you worded your personal statement is it completely different to A-levels when we apply for undergraduate? If so then how?

I don't really remember my A-levels one to be honest, but I feel my personal statement now has improved a lot as frankly my writing/intelligence has improved. I also have work experience and more to talk about now. My master's is also a subject I'm interested in pursuing, whereas my undergrad was not. It gave me the opportunity to talk about my current aspirations or why I changed.