How to: Transition to University

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How to: Transition to University 

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities

Many students find it difficult to step out of their comfort zone when they first join university. You may find yourself spending a long period of time in your room or with the same few people. A survey conducted in 2018 on undergraduate students found 32.4% of their sample considered themselves moderately lonely (Diehl et al., 2018). Joining sports clubs and societies can help new university students feel part of a community and develop new friendships that will last a lifetime. Winestone et al (2022) distributed a survey to a relatively small sample of university students asking them to briefly describe some of the benefits of extracurricular activities. The results were as follows:

·   Meeting like minded individuals

·   Making friends from different year groups

·   Helping students ‘feel involved’

(Winstone et al., 2022)

 The results indicate that partaking in some form of extracurricular activity can help students transition and make friends at university.

Many students may struggle to find time for extracurricular activities, due to some university courses requiring more contact hours than others. Therefore, managing your time can become relatively overwhelming and finding a good work life balance may seem impossible.

Work-life Balance

 

University may be the first time dealing with academics and everything else in your life put together in one place. Learning how to balance all of these things at once can be tricky for some. Research has suggested that a struggle with a work-life balance can negatively affect well-being, therefore we should all make sure our work-life balance is in check.

 

What can affect a healthy work-life balance?

·       Struggling with course content

·       High academic expectations

·       Social environment

·       Not setting boundaries

·       Lack of hobbies

 

Becoming more aware that certain things can affect your work-life balance helps you to prevent or avoid the effects of an unhealthy work-life balance. Attending exercises classes helps this balance, by allowing you to take a step back from your academics and focus on your physical health. Improving your working environment has also shown to help as it makes you more motivated to complete a set of tasks. Also, learning how to use your time effectively, such as avoiding procrastination or distractions whilst working, allows you to maximise your time whilst working. 

 

After these things are taken into account, your life at university will feel much more balanced and rewarding!

Dealing with Money

Money can be frightening! This is especially true if you have never had to deal with it on your own. To make things even worse, the average student’s monthly living costs have increased by 17% since 2022 (The Student Money Survey, 2023.) Whether you have a student loan or depend on other sources to get through university, there are many things you can do to make your life easier when it comes to money. You could budget or get a part-time job. However, Hordosy and Clark (2018) found that part-time work can negatively impact degree outcomes. This suggests that a job, unless necessary, may not be the best option. So, what about budgeting? Studies have shown that budgeting can help reduce money worries (The Complete University Guide, 2023.) Thus, it is a no-brainer to budget. In order to create one, Student.com (2019) suggests these tips to help: 

  • Determine your income and keep track of it

  • Calculate your expenses and look for ways to reduce them

  • Set financial goals and focus on them

Once you have a budgeting plan, there should be less worry around money which will allow you to transition better to all the other aspects of university. 

A Healthy Lifestyle

Finally, Taking care of your health at university is extremely vital in order to ensure you can make the most of your university experience. Staying fit and eating healthily has an immediate effect on both your mental and physical health, so it is important you stay happy and healthy by looking after yourself by staying fit and having a healthy diet. This is achieved through regular exercise and cooking for yourself. According to Hilger-Kolb & Diehl (2019), some of the most major barriers for students not wanting to cook for themselves were not having time or not having sufficient motivation to cook every day, especially after a long day of lectures. One way around this problem is to prepare meals. This could mean cooking your meals two or three nights a week where you are not so busy and saving meals for those nights where you are less motivated to cook. This will also be healthier than fast food. Exercise is also important with University students in the UK stating they exercise for a range of factors among which include relieving of stress and revitalisation, as well as avoidance of ill health (Roberts et al., 2015).


References


DIEHL, K., JANSEN, C., ISHCHANOVA, K. & HILGER-KOLB, J. 2018. Loneliness at universities: determinants of emotional and social loneliness among students. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15, 1865.

  Hilger-Kolb, J., Diehl, K., 2019. ‘Oh God, I Have to Eat Something, But Where Can I Get Something Quickly?’—A Qualitative Interview Study on Barriers to Healthy Eating among University Students in Germany. Nutrients, 11(10), 2440. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102440.

Hordosy, R., Clark, T. (2018). Student budgets and widening participation: Comparative experiences of finance in low and higher income undergraduates at a northern red brick university. Social Policy & Administration, 53(5), 761-775. https://0-doi-org.pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/10.1111/spol.12410

Roberts, S., Reeves, M., Ryrie, A., 2015. The influence of physical activity, sport and exercise motives among UK-based university students. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 39(4), 598-607. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2014.938265.

Save the Student (2023). Student Money Survey 2023. https://www.savethestudent.org/money/surveys/student-money-survey-2023-results.html

Student.com (2019). Budgeting and Financial Planning Tips for University Students. https://www.student.com/articles/budgeting-financial-planning-university-students

The Complete University Guide (2023). Budgeting for University. thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/after-you-start/budgeting-for-university#:~:text=It's%20always%20better%20to%20overestimate

WINSTONE, N., BALLOO, K., GRAVETT, K., JACOBS, D. & KEEN, H. 2022. Who stands to benefit? Wellbeing, belonging and challenges to equity in engagement in extracurricular activities at university. Active Learning in Higher Education, 23, 81-96.

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