From making friends to managing money: Students’ advice for this year’s freshers

Navigating University Life: Insights from Current Students

Ninoda.com – As A-level results arrive and university confirmations come through, prospective students find themselves caught between excitement and apprehension. While the prospect of discovering a new city and pursuing beloved subjects brings joy, concerns about finances, social connections, and separation from home linger. With an unprecedented cohort of eighteen-year-olds beginning their higher education journey this academic year, BBC News gathered perspectives from current undergraduates regarding their pre-arrival anxieties and strategies for overcoming them.

Building Connections in New Environments

For Isaak Hewitt, relocating to Cardiff represented a fresh beginning where he knew absolutely no one. The prospect of socializing with unfamiliar faces after secondary school proved daunting. However, he discovered that engaging with fellow students during lectures and seminars helped bridge the gap. Now twenty years old, Isaak recalls feeling intimidated by conversation initiation, yet shared academic interests in English provided natural common ground. His recommendation to incoming students is to project confidence even when feeling uncertain internally, and to actively seek opportunities to connect.

“I was sometimes terrified trying to strike up conversations, but the fact everyone was studying English together gave them common ground.”

Grace Morrell experienced similar concerns as a Nottingham commuter student. While her peers bonded through residential halls, she found alternative pathways through extracurricular involvement. Joining the student publication, radio station, and theatre group enabled her to build meaningful relationships. At nineteen, she emphasizes that pursuing personal interests facilitates friendship formation, even when initially challenging.

“A lot of my friendships come from putting myself out there and just doing what I love, which I found was a bit hard at times, especially when you don’t know anyone.”

Digital platforms also serve as valuable connection tools. Mustafa Dassu, nineteen, utilized WhatsApp groups established before term began at King’s College London to forge friendships ahead of arrival. He notes that constant messaging between results announcements and orientation week helped establish lasting connections.

“Everyone was typing on them all the time between that period of results day and freshers’ itself, and I met friends that I’m still in touch with a lot today.”

Homesickness presented another common concern. Izzy Garcez, aged twenty, feared isolation and missing evening routines with family. Ultimately, her experience exceeded expectations. She observed that university friendships develop rapidly, often surprising students with how quickly parental contact diminishes as independence grows.

“Realistically, you’ll make friends so quickly at uni, and you’re going to get to a point where you realise ‘I’ve not called my parents in a week’, and you’ll realise that suddenly you’re not actually missing them anymore.”

Financial Planning and Budget Management

Money concerns ranked among the top worries for many undergraduates. Kieran Miller, a nineteen-year-old journalism student from Swansea, approached this challenge strategically. He researched banking options and selected an account offering complimentary access to the sixteen-to-twenty-five Railcard, alongside various discount programs.

Although receiving the initial maintenance loan payment as a substantial sum feels rewarding, Kieran cautions that this money must sustain students until subsequent disbursements. With maternal assistance, he developed a preliminary budget before departure. He acknowledges that the newfound autonomy of university life often leads to overspending, particularly when social obligations arise.

“When you start uni and you’re living away from your family and you’ve got this new sense of freedom it was also really difficult to stay strict financially because you want to make mates with people.”

He notes that declining invitations for meals or drinks feels uncomfortable when viewing them as networking opportunities. Beyond loans, universities provide numerous scholarships and bursaries worth investigating for eligibility. Many students successfully combine academic commitments with part-time employment, volunteer positions, athletic participation, and society memberships.

Balancing Multiple Commitments

Avery Hewitt, nineteen, faced concerns about managing her English and drama studies alongside performing in a university band. Consulting with a student ambassador regarding expected workload proved invaluable preparation. Her experience illustrates how proactive communication with current students can alleviate pre-university anxieties about juggling diverse responsibilities.

The collective wisdom from these undergraduates suggests that while concerns about university life are entirely normal, most challenges prove manageable through openness, planning, and willingness to engage with new opportunities. Whether through social media, extracurricular activities, or financial preparation, incoming students have numerous resources available to support their transition into higher education.