New Uni, Same Me

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NEW UNI,SAME ME

A guide to being true to yourself during your transition into university.

Embarking on the journey to university is a monumental step, a transition marked by both excitement and uncertainty. As we navigated through this transformative path, we encountered challenges and grew together along the way! We've come together to give you a few top tips on how to stay true to your identity and get the most out of your university experience.


Keeping Values And Morals

    When transitioning into university, it is important to understand that different individuals hold different values and morals. For one student, this could look like belonging to a particular society on campus, whereas for another, it could be in the form of religion or personal beliefs. Focusing on religious beliefs, a study by Kane and Jacobs (2010) reveals how university students agreed that religious and spiritual beliefs were important to them, and this is what helped them cope with difficult personal circumstances. Most participants also agreed that this made them a better person.
  • Prioritising and understanding your personal beliefs when starting university may help you stay true to your identity
  • It may be difficult to grasp the importance of this at the beginning of the term as you may be focused on settling in
  • Remember to never forget the things you value the most and to respect other students' beliefs as a result of individual differences 


 Kane, M. N., & Jacobs, R. J. (2010). Predictors of the importance of spiritual and religious beliefs among university students. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 29(1), 49–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426430903479262



 Dealing with peer pressure

 

Peer pressure is when an individual’s friends or social group encourage or coerce them into conforming to behaviours they wouldn't usually partake in. This usually happens because of the new social settings we find ourselves in at uni and wanting to fit in with different friendship groups. This might include chugging down a pint, purchasing the latest macbook or even smoking a blunt! Normalised drinking behaviour is the main reason why university students drink so much (Neighbors et al., 2007). This could be amongst your friends or flatmates. I'm sure you’ve seen the bottles aligned on every other window sill ! The issue isn't with the drinking per say but more so if, after you have made your boundaries known, they are till being shifted by people who cant take no as an answer. However, there are steps we can take in order to prevent you from being pressured into doing things you're not particularly comfortable with. 

 

  • If you find yourself constantly acting out of character with certain people and repeatedly end up in situations that don't align with your moral compass, taking time out to think about if those are your true friends
  • A way you can implement this is by setting clear boundaries on your limits as well as distancing yourself to reflect on those friends who you can be yourself around. 
  • You shouldn’t feel bad for doing this, you aren't obligated to be friends with anyone, especially if you have to change yourself to feel accepted by them. 
  • Another way you can avoid peer pressure is by joining societies or clubs, these are often filled with people that you are likely to share common interests with and you are bound to make friends that you click with.

Neighbours, C., Lee, C. M., Lewis, M. A., Fossos, N., & Larimer, M.E. (2007). Are social norms the best predictor of outcomes among heavy-drinking college students? Journal of Studies on Alcohol  and Drugs, 68, 556-565



Battling Loneliness


University is daunting, new and let’s face it can be very lonely. A study was done with medical students In Tabriz university using the UCLA loneliness questionnaire. It was found that the mean loneliness score was 41.42. higher in female students and students with lower financial status. Of course there are things you can do to combat loneliness. 

1   1. Remember that it is ok, and that things will take time, eventually you will fit in and find the people that will help you feel less lonely. 

2  2. Try to keep going to classes, surrounding yourself with people, and possibly making conversations in lectures instead of always being in your room, will prevent you from feeling so isolated 

  3. Join a society, it is the perfect way to meet people you are guaranteed to have at least one thing in common with 

4.     Hang out in communal areas, like your kitchen, so that people feel they can approach you and start to form friendships 

Lastly remember that everyone is in your position, even if they seem to be just fine. Just stay open minded, put yourself out there, and visit home for a few days, when you need a pick me up


Zahedi, H., Sahebihagh, M. H., & Sarbakhsh, P. (2022, October). The magnitude of loneliness and associated risk factors among university students: A cross-sectional study. Iranian journal of psychiatry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9922349/ 


Forming Relationships and Friendships

Transitioning to university can feel like an intimidating step up, especially when you’re moving away from home completely by yourself. Some people will say you make friends for life and for some people, it will just pass by. University is a gift full of people from all walks of life with the opportunity to grow and learn from others, but finding your tribe can be hard. Like mentioned before, sticking to your values and not being swayed by others' pressure can be a difficult thing to stay on top of so finding the right people to surround yourself with is very important. The best way to go about this is to stay true to yourself and do the things you love; for example, joining societies whether you play your sport or connect with people through religion, you’ll have like-minded people who share your values. Buote et al. (2007) demonstrated that the more meaningful and strong the relationships that you form at university are, the smoother your transition will be where you have a sense of belonging even if you may be 100 miles away from the place you call home. Standing strong in your opinions may steer some people away but it's important to not rush into friendships and form quick opinions; in due time, you will find your family. Coming out of your comfort zone can be difficult, but staying open and being ready to try new things can go a long way.


Buote, V. M., Pancer, S. M., Pratt, M. W., Adams, G., Birnie-Lefcovitch, S., Polivy, J., & Wintre, M. G. (2007). The Importance of Friends: Friendship and adjustment among 1st-year university students. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22(6), 665–689. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558407306344



The journey through university is full of great change, growth and meaningful connections. As you go through the inevitable hardships, try your best to take these tips on board however don't be

too hard on yourself! University will be an amazing experience where you go through challenge after challenge but come out stronger on the other side; these years will fly by so make sure to enjoy the ride!




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