My biggest culture shocks starting uni - What surprised you the most?

Starting university is a huge change, and for many students, it comes with a fair share of surprises. Whether you’re coming straight from school, taking a break before uni, or moving from another country, there’s always something unexpected about student life.
For me, one of the biggest shocks was how independent everything is. Unlike school, no one is reminding you about deadlines or chasing you to attend classes, you must stay on top of everything yourself. This has taught me the importance of time management and personal responsibility, and I’ve become much better at organising my workload and setting priorities according to my deadlines
Something I didn’t expect was how hard it can be to make friends in the beginning. Everyone seems to know each other already, especially if they’re in halls or come from the same college. It felt like everyone had their little cliques, and I worried about fitting in. But after a while, I realised that most people felt the same way! It just takes time, and putting yourself out there, whether through group projects, societies, or even just chatting to someone in a lecture, helps.
Then there’s the classic student budgeting struggle! I underestimated how quickly money disappears between groceries, travel, and the occasional takeaway. Learning to manage finances was a learning curve.
What about you? What shocked you the most when you started university? Was it the workload, making friends, or something completely unexpected? Let’s hear your experiences!
~Annabel (Kingston Rep).

Starting university is a huge change, and for many students, it comes with a fair share of surprises. Whether you’re coming straight from school, taking a break before uni, or moving from another country, there’s always something unexpected about student life.
For me, one of the biggest shocks was how independent everything is. Unlike school, no one is reminding you about deadlines or chasing you to attend classes, you must stay on top of everything yourself. This has taught me the importance of time management and personal responsibility, and I’ve become much better at organising my workload and setting priorities according to my deadlines
Something I didn’t expect was how hard it can be to make friends in the beginning. Everyone seems to know each other already, especially if they’re in halls or come from the same college. It felt like everyone had their little cliques, and I worried about fitting in. But after a while, I realised that most people felt the same way! It just takes time, and putting yourself out there, whether through group projects, societies, or even just chatting to someone in a lecture, helps.
Then there’s the classic student budgeting struggle! I underestimated how quickly money disappears between groceries, travel, and the occasional takeaway. Learning to manage finances was a learning curve.
What about you? What shocked you the most when you started university? Was it the workload, making friends, or something completely unexpected? Let’s hear your experiences!
~Annabel (Kingston Rep).

Starting university is a huge change, and for many students, it comes with a fair share of surprises. Whether you’re coming straight from school, taking a break before uni, or moving from another country, there’s always something unexpected about student life.
For me, one of the biggest shocks was how independent everything is. Unlike school, no one is reminding you about deadlines or chasing you to attend classes, you must stay on top of everything yourself. This has taught me the importance of time management and personal responsibility, and I’ve become much better at organising my workload and setting priorities according to my deadlines
Something I didn’t expect was how hard it can be to make friends in the beginning. Everyone seems to know each other already, especially if they’re in halls or come from the same college. It felt like everyone had their little cliques, and I worried about fitting in. But after a while, I realised that most people felt the same way! It just takes time, and putting yourself out there, whether through group projects, societies, or even just chatting to someone in a lecture, helps.
Then there’s the classic student budgeting struggle! I underestimated how quickly money disappears between groceries, travel, and the occasional takeaway. Learning to manage finances was a learning curve.
What about you? What shocked you the most when you started university? Was it the workload, making friends, or something completely unexpected? Let’s hear your experiences!
~Annabel (Kingston Rep).