First year at university is full of exciting moments, but also challenges. This post reveals some of the struggles I have in my first year at Worcester.
Being homesick.
As much fun as it was, there were times that I felt rather homesick. No matter how old or used to being away from home you are, you do get random bouts of homesickness. There’s no shame in it. After Fresher’s week, I got the fresher’s flu, which was just a whole bag of fun, let me tell you. My voice was never the same again either. But when sick, and away from the familiar things, you especially miss your home and family.
In order not to worry my mother, I would chat with my closest cousin who was feeling similar pangs of homesickness as she started university as well and we would support one another by just listening to the other.
For the most part, I loved being at university and enjoyed my independence. But when I had the flu and had to go to the hospital alone, I’m not ashamed to say I did have a little pity party for myself. But the blue moods luckily didn’t strike often and I was back to my usual self.
Now to deal with homesickness; I reckon there are two ways. It is also different with everyone how you choose to deal with it or maybe there are three ways actually:
Number 1 – run back home to your family and hug them and never let go.
Number 2- surrounding yourself with familiar things, i.e. maybe marathon some Friends episodes and eat loads food.
For me, those two options weren’t really a choice for me – for one, I’m not really the sort to do that, and two, if I want to become fat and even lazier than I already am, so would be a terrible choice.
So the third option for me was basically opening up and immersing myself in new experiences like going out, meeting new people, volunteering and joining everything. There was a period when I even ran for Student Welfare Officer. That was both a cringy affair as well as a point of pride for putting myself out there.
Making friends.
We’re all anxious about this. The best part is making so many, from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages. However making friends is not the harder part- it is for me, doable. What is difficult for me; is keeping them, differentiating between the friends who are cool for general fun and banter, and those who will stick by your side through thick and thin.
Change of pace.
From tough A levels to a more work-oriented apprenticeship, both of which took up 5 sometimes 6 days a week, to the more relaxed state of having between 9 to12 hours worth of lectures and seminar a week where I have all this free time was rather strange.
Suffice to say in the beginning I made schedules in the effort to help me adjust until I got more comfortable with the change of pace.
Now it’s more the struggle of using the spare time I have, not to laze around and instead, do things productively without leaving things to the last notice. But let’s face it, I’m a procrastinator at heart; I will chill until last minute then run around like a crazy headless person in order to get everything done. Which I always do, but it seems I’m a bit of a masochist by subjecting myself to such stress when it can easily be avoided. But that’s one of those things easier said than done.
So yeah, in conclusion, it’s not always rainbows and sparkles at University – there’s some grit that you have to get through. But you learn a lot about yourself and develop many valuable skills to take away. So stick through it. There is much to be gained. Because, despite all of that, from my experience, the first year was amazing!
Worcester Student Life 