Walking into a flat that you have to call home for the next year and meeting a bunch of complete strangers is never going to be an easy thing but after a week or two you soon adjust to living away from home and start to enjoy all your new found freedom. When I first arrived at halls I remember the huge amount of people carrying box upon box to their new small rooms. After unloading the car and a nearly tearful goodbye to my mum I entered the kitchen where I met 6 of my new housemates. After our first night out the rest was history and I proceeded to live with 5 of them again this year.
Everyone is in the same position- Everyone has just arrived and everyone is desperate to make friends and get to know people so if you're worried about making friends then don't. Just remember that you are meeting people with the exact same worries that you have and so you all have something in common!
You won't remain friends with everyone and that's OK- After my first night out at Uni I was convinced that I had found the people I would be friends with for the rest of my time at university, but just because you get along with people doesn't mean you have to be best friends. I still see and talk to the girls I met that week but since freshers week I have met so many more people that I get along with just as well, if not better, and so its important to remember that you make friends throughout your time at university and not just at the beginning.
Take advantage of Freshers Fairs- Freshers Fairs are a great way to see what opportunities and societies there are available at your new University. You can speak to the members of the societies and see if it's something you would be interested in trying. At Leeds university they have Give it a Go sessions so that you can try out the society to see if you enjoy it before having to fully commit!
Join a Society- Following on from above, I've met some of my best friends through societies! The people you meet clearly have common interests and so getting involved is a great way to meet more people. Leeds have over 300 societies and so there really is something for everyone whether that's your course society, like ZooSoc or GeogSoc to Snowriders, Cheerleading or Quiddich you will most likely find something you're interested in so why not get involved!
Stay Organised- Staying on top of reading, essay writing, attending lectures, going out for most of the night 3/4 times a week, along with taking part in a society, especially if that's a sports team with training, is hard going. My advice is to plan out what you have each week on the Sunday night before the chaos starts, that way you know what is coming and can see when you have to do. Having a good diary/ organiser is crucial, I use WH Smiths planners with a page a day as they are the perfect size to fit in my bag along with enough space to write down what I need, a large planner for your wall is also brill to help you see when your deadlines are.
Notes, Notes and more Notes- When in lectures, taking notes on a laptop or paper is really useful, everyone is different as I personally write mine out after going through the lecture in my own time with a recording of the lecturer speaking what's being discussed on the slides. Keeping lecture recordings is often useful for revision if you don't understand a part of a slide so you are able to listen again at a later date.
It DOES matter- Ignore the people who say just get the 40% to pass, if you are thinking of doing a year in industry/abroad at any university then you need a 2:1 minimum, these marks are also used, especially for year studying abroad to decide which university you may be placed at. Those with the highest first year marks will be given the best university places.
In Biology/Zoology, additional field courses often go to those with the highest marks in first year as well, so although the grades themselves don't count towards your degree, they may greatly effect the opportunities you have during your time at University.
80 is the new 100%- When I was only getting 65/70% in my first term at Uni I was devastated, I couldn't understand why I couldn't get higher, but at uni getting anything above an 80% is very rare. At school you are told that you need over 90% to get an A but at Uni that is just not true. 60-70% is a 2:1 and ask any second or third year and they will tell you that they would be very happy with a mark in that bracket!
Stay fit- Lots of Universities give out free gym memberships to first years, use it! You hear loads of people talk about putting on weight at uni which is mainly down to the huge amounts of calories consumed during nights out and hardly any burnt sat in a lecture theatre, so either hit the gym or join a sport society allowing you to exercise, socialise and party.
Water is your new BFF- Water, have it ready by the bed when you get in and make sure you drink at least two glasses before you fall to sleep after a night out. Have a bottle in your bag for when your dehydrated or falling asleep in lectures and try and have some in the morning too. Water really will help with hangovers, boredom and keep you awake,
TOP TIP, also have an apple in the morning, its scientifically proven to be as effective as caffeine first thing (well, apparently).
Money, No Worries- Starting uni can often be the first time you have a large quantity of money readily available to you. Make a list of what you know to be coming in and out such as rent and student finance and then see how much you will have each week. Another piece of advice is to not get a overdraft and if you do only make it small! This will prevent you from spending money which isn't yours
Enjoy yourself- first year is for settling into your new life and getting to know new people, so don't panic if you aren't on top of everything immediately, it takes time to get everything under control.
Good luck to all those starting uni this year!
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