From Freshers to Finding My Feet

What Being a University Student Has Taught Me

Looking back at September last year, it’s surprising how much can change in the space of a year. I remember arriving in Nottingham knowing that moving away from home was the right choice for me but having absolutely no idea what university life would actually be like.

Suddenly, I was in a completely new environment, surrounded by hundreds of new people, sitting in a very quiet new room and trying to adjust to a completely different way of studying. On top of that, I now had a much greater level of independence – which sounds great until you realise that also means budgeting, cooking, cleaning and somehow getting yourself to a 9am lecture on time.

Finding my people

One of my biggest goals in first year was to make new friends and take advantage of the opportunities around me. Like most freshers, I was worried about who my flatmates would be, whether I’d make friends quickly and, perhaps most importantly, whether my kitchen would constantly be a mess.

Thankfully, I got lucky. My flatmates were clean AND chatty – perfect!

Most of my first night in accommodation was spent sitting in the kitchen with them. We stayed up late talking about where we were from, what courses we were studying and how we already hated the 9ams on our timetables. Within a few hours, two of my biggest worries about university had pretty much disappeared.

I also joined Hindu Society and ASOC, which gave me another way to meet people outside my course and accommodation. I didn’t attend every single event, but the ones I did go to gave me a much-needed break from lectures, revision and the endless quizzes that seemed to appear on my Moodle page.

ResX became another big part of that experience. I attended lots of the events happening around my accommodation, whether that meant doing an activity, making something to take back to my room or, of course, getting freebies. My room overlooked the courtyard where food trucks would sometimes arrive, so the second I spotted one, the group chats were immediately informed. Free lunch waits for nobody.

Through societies, ResX and simply talking to people, I gradually built a group of friends to explore Nottingham with. We went bowling, explored the city centre and spent significantly more money on food than we probably should have. Wingstop saw me many, many times.

Dealing with homesickness

Despite enjoying university, I was definitely homesick during my first month.

I called my mum at least twice a day and spent a lot of time on FaceTime with friends from home. At first, I thought I was the only person struggling with it. Then my flatmates started talking about feeling exactly the same way and how often they planned to go home.

That made me realise how normal homesickness actually is.

I usually went home at least once a month – and thankfully, with student discounts, the coach could cost me around a tenner for the return journey. I also knew people who went home almost every weekend.

There’s nothing embarrassing about missing home. Moving somewhere new is a massive adjustment. Give yourself time to settle in, speak to the people around you and remember that the person in the room next door might be feeling exactly the same way. Eventually, Nottingham started feeling like a home away from home.

Finding a balance

Before university, I thought balancing lectures, revision and a social life would be one of the hardest parts. It definitely took some adjusting, especially around exam season, but one surprisingly simple thing helped me: a planner.

Yes. Like sixth form. An actual academic planner.

I planned out lectures, revision and deadlines – while obviously leaving enough room for the club nights I absolutely HAD to attend. Ink has to be my favourite.

I also started cooking at home more often. It saved money and meant I could take packed lunches on those painful days when I had lectures from 9am until 4pm. Some of my greatest culinary achievements included chicken korma with garlic cheese naan and several varieties of pasta bake. Gordon Ramsay hasn’t called yet, but there’s still time.

More importantly, I learnt that looking after yourself needs to be part of your university routine.

It can be tempting to sacrifice sleep for an extra few hours of studying, especially before an exam, but I quickly realised how much worse I felt the next day. Getting enough sleep, eating proper meals and giving yourself time away from studying genuinely makes a difference.

One of my favourite ways to switch off was going to the Sherwood Wellbeing Lounge for ResX activities. I also tried to spend one day each week organising the week ahead. Knowing what lectures, deadlines, activities and plans were coming up stopped everything from suddenly feeling overwhelming.

What would I do differently?

There are definitely things I’d change if I could redo first year.

I would eat out less and save more money. I’d join even more societies and explore interests outside my course. I would also stop ordering an Uber to university every time it rained, buy a proper raincoat and accept that the hopper bus exists for a reason.

I also wish I’d explored more cities around Nottingham while they were so accessible.

And finally, I wish I had scrubbed my pans harder after cooking because the stains at the bottom now look absolutely horrendous.

You live and you learn.

But there are plenty of things I wouldn’t change.

I’ll continue turning up to my 9ams, sitting next to new people and starting conversations. I’ll continue going to the pub with friends after a busy day at uni. I’ll keep going to ResX events for the activities, the people and, obviously, the freebies. And I’ll continue exploring Nottingham’s food scene every now and then – although maybe with slightly more consideration for my bank account.

Most importantly, I’ve realised that enjoying your social life at university doesn't have to come at the expense of your studies. You can make time for both.

One year later...

If I could say one thing to someone arriving at Nottingham for the first time, it would be to give yourself time.

You aren't expected to have everything figured out during Freshers' Week. Go to your lectures, speak to the person sitting next to you, join societies, try the ResX activities happening around your accommodation and say yes to opportunities that take you slightly outside your comfort zone.

And remember that you aren't alone. There will be other people who are homesick, worried about making friends or wondering how they're supposed to balance studying with actually enjoying university.

A year ago, I was trying to figure all of that out too.

Now, Nottingham feels much more familiar. I’ve made friends, learnt how to manage my time, become more independent and discovered that living away from home isn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

I’m still working on the budgeting, though.