The Fresher’s Experience: Is It All Stress?
University, where new faces meet new places. For many people, this will be the first taste of freedom, but juggling the bustling nightlife with the never-ending academic demands can be challenging. Learning how to manage your finances is often overlooked but is crucial to gain independence and have a stress-free experience. Making time for yourself may seem like an impossible task without proper planning, but there are certainly some easy ways to make this more achievable. Here’s our fresher’s guide, packed with top tips to help you navigate your way through your first year at university!
Dealing with Loneliness
Starting university is an exciting experience and not one to miss out on; however, it is important to be prepared for its difficult aspects too. Moving away from home, friends, and family for months can be hard. Around 30% of students struggle with loneliness at university (Diehl et al., 2018). These feelings of isolation can be avoided by putting yourself out there and mingling with others. Make the most of this new environment and fight the homesickness by getting involved in all the new opportunities university has to offer. Joining societies, volunteering and socialising with flatmates are all great ways to combat loneliness and avoid social isolation. Adjusting to university life becomes so much easier by forming good-quality relationships (Buote et al., 2007). So, try to go out and get involved in some social events - close friendships are all waiting just outside your door!
The Drinking Culture
“Spillage is lickage” - three words that send shivers down the spine of a Warwick fresher. Circling is an infamous part of the Warwick experience, whereby students sit in circles and play a series of drinking games. Despite its popularity, getting completely hammered in the Copper Rooms isn’t for everyone. However, many still choose to participate in fear of missing out on all the fun! Research suggests that higher levels of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) in college students are correlated with increased alcohol consumption, including starting to drink at a younger age. (McKee et al., 2022) With 81% of students believing that drinking is central to university culture, and 51% claiming that getting drunk ensures a good night out, (SOS, 2022), it’s clear that the pressure to drink dominates the social aspects of university life. But if drinking isn’t your thing, be sure to get involved in the wide variety of sober socials around campus or join a society that sparks your interest! Not everything needs to involve tipsy dancing and hangovers!
Handling Finances
‘SFE’ is a word we hear on a day-to-day basis as a university student. It’s no surprise that every student is on a budget and constantly worrying about where their money is going – hindering their ability to socialise or even eat properly. Research has shown that increased financial stress contributes to an increased likelihood of discontinuing university (Britt et al., 2017). This indicates that financial worries can have detrimental effects on students' further education – a fact we don’t want to have to face. Furthermore, Mangan et al (2010) found that many students do not consider finances when making decisions on which university to apply to, leaving them in an unfortunate position of debt. However, there are ways of managing this additional anxiety using budgeting tactics, like downloading budgeting apps or scheduling appointments with the finance team on campus. Not to mention cutting down on those takeaways...
Academic Adjustment and Work-life Balance
One of the main challenges students are confronted with during their transition to higher education is independent learning, with students stating that they felt ill-equipped to its great expectations and demands (Thompson et al., 2021). Whilst it’s common for freshers to get hooked into this new world of liberty, attending events and socialising, it’s important to note that the level of regulation of academic work is linked with wellbeing. Students who followed a highly regulated work routine seemed to have better well-being and were less stressed in the long run (Heikkilä et al., 2012). This highlights the value of organisation at university. That being so, you should try to maintain a healthy work-life balance, achievable with diaries and reminders on your phone, and ensuring your priorities do not primarily focus on the social aspect – even if it is just first year!
As you can see, university doesn’t have to be as difficult as people make it out to be. These tips show that if everything is balanced your freshers experience will be straightforward and enjoyable. University may be the best years of your life, but it’s still super important to prioritise your mental and physical wellbeing – let’s face it, you’ve got to be somewhat sane to survive the caffeine addiction that comes with those all-nighters!
References
Britt, S. L., Ammerman, D. A., Barrett, S. F., & Jones, S. (2017). Student Loans, Financial Stress, and College Student Retention. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 47(1). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1141137
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
Comments
Post a Comment