The Truth Behind Surviving University: What We Wish We Knew

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 The Truth Behind Surviving University: What We Wish We Knew


Do you ever feel like you’re not mentally prepared for university despite all the blogs you’ve read or TikToks you’ve seen? You’re not alone! Dimitrievski (2023) found that the majority of bloggers are over the age of 21, meaning what you’re reading might not be relevant to what you'll experience when at university. However, this blog is written by students, for students. What you’re about to read will spare no detail, letting you practically live at university through your screen. We'll talk about things people are scared of experiencing and ways to overcome the shift from Post-16 to university. Before we begin, a word of advice: don’t expect life at university to be exactly as you planned. If you let life take its course and do what’s right for you, everything else will fall into place.


Difference in work style

First year students often find it daunting to shift from structured A-level lessons to the independent learning style university requires. Thompson et al. (2021) found that students felt they weren’t prepared for the expectations university holds regarding proactive engagement and the level of responsibility students have over their own learning. We recommend researching your course and modules before September, so you have an idea of how much work will be self-directed and can plan to build the habit of completing required readings and other assignments ahead of your lectures.

Stay focused!

While university learning is often fun and engaging, there’s no denying that sometimes lectures are just a bit boring! It can be tempting to look at your phone replying to messages for a mental break, but it's been found that students who respond to text messages, while typing notes, use fewer and less meaningful words to note the main topics, supporting details and examples used in the lecture than students who do not (Flanigan and Titsworth, 2020). Therefore, if you’re worried about the quality of your notes or falling behind in class, it'd be helpful to put your phone on silent and keep it in your bag to let yourself focus on the lecture.

Taking care of your Mental Health


Going to university is a major step in many people’s lives. The new environment and drastic changes can overwhelm many and lead to people feeling low. Thorley (2017) found that most disabilities being put down on university application forms are mental health conditions, and these numbers are rising. For example, in 2006/07, it was 5% compared to 17% in 2015/16. It is, therefore, important that you are aware of the assistance that your university can provide in the moments when you may need extra support or advice. At Warwick, we have great wellbeing services that are very easily accessible to all!




What can you do to prepare yourself?


A lot of stress comes from new students not recognising their responsibilities involving basic self-care (Thompson et al., 2021). Being in an environment without parents, carers or friends who were usually there to help can be daunting and intimidating. However, Thompson et al. (2021) found that those with previous experience in independent tasks did not struggle as much with the change. As preparation for university, you may want to practice cooking a few meals or look into washing facilities available to you on campus before your arrival.



Socialising

Adjusting to university life won’t be the same for everyone. Some may struggle making new connections and living with new people. Others may prefer to lock themselves away to focus on studies. However, socialising is very important, even though it’s often difficult.

Mckeown et al., (2021) compared people’s thought patterns pre- and post-covid to determine the impact of lockdown on an individual's thinking. They found that our social environment and our engagement with it, greatly influences our thinking. For example, a lack of interaction during the lockdown significantly reduced future-directed problem-solving. This means people thought more about their goals and improving pre-lockdown when they could socialise freely than in lockdown when everyone was forced to stay home.



So, what does this mean for you?

While the main focus of university is to get your degree and achieve the best results you can, you shouldn’t shut yourself away like a hermit to do so. Isolating yourself to focus on being an academic weapon might actually be counterproductive in the long run so it’s better to seek a balance.

You can join societies and sports teams to meet people and try new things. Remember, you don’t have to drink alcohol or go clubbing to have a good time. Perhaps you’d like to join a book club, a dance society, or maybe even an esports group. There are plenty of opportunities if you put yourself out there so give it a go!




References:

Campbell, F., Blank, L., Cantrell, A., Baxter, S., Blackmore, C., Dixon, J., & Goyder, E. (2022). Factors that influence mental health of university and college students in the UK: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13943-x


Dimitrievski, M. (2023, February 25). Blogging Statistics - TrueList 2022. TrueList. https://truelist.co/blog/blog-statistics/


Flanigan, A. E., & Titsworth, S. (2020). The impact of digital distraction on lecture note taking and student learning. Instructional Science, 48(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-020-09517-2


Mckeown, B., Poerio, G. L., Strawson, W. H., Martinon, L. M., Riby, L. M., Jefferies, E., McCall, C., & Smallwood, J. (2021). The impact of social isolation and changes in work patterns on ongoing thought during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(40). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2102565118


Thompson, M., Pawson, C., & Evans, B. (2021). Navigating entry into higher education: the transition to independent learning and living. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(10), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2021.1933400


Thorley, C. (2017). Not By Degrees: Not by degrees: Improving student mental health in the UK’s universities. IPPR: London, UK.




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