University 101: Home Away From Home

Firstly, I want to apologise for being away for a very long time. As you may have guessed from some of my previous blog posts, I have gone to University!

University is said to be the best time of your life. And from my own experience, it is! I haven't been at University for very long, but have already made great memories and friends! You can go out every night during Freshers' Week, get drunk and no one will judge you. Trust me, at University nobody judges anyone. However, with that comes adjusting to the new environment, atmosphere and simply living away from home. 

Living away from home can be one of the most daunting and stressful experiences. It is like a challenge after challenge which you have to conquer every day. The first challenge for me arose the night before my parents drove me to my Uni and dropped me off. As I had a lot of personal items that I had to take with me, my car was full to the brim almost instantly with the countless folders, laundry baskets and books. My Number One top tip is to not over pack. I had 4 packets of anti-bacterial wipes and although I am having to share bathroom with 12 other girls, 4 big packets of 250 wipes is really over the top. Once you use that pack up, go out and purchase yourself whatever you need from the shop on campus! 

There were many 'what if's' going through my mind when I was spending the last few days at home, including if I will be able to continue writing my blog. But now that I am writing this, I can honestly say that I am back and couldn't have been happier to be at Uni. The people, the environment and the way that everyone treated as an adult is great. I wish that everyone could experience that fun which I am having at Uni, and I hope that everyone who is at Uni is having an amazing time!

Next comes the question about what if you feel like you don't belong at Uni? You have to give it time before you  draw to conclusions which may be life changing. At the moment, every morning when I wake up and see that I am not in my old room, I begin crying. Apparently that is perfectly fine and it would be inhumane to not feel homesick or miss your family. It is totally normal and even a week and 4 days after enrolling, I still miss home immensely.

All in all, University is a big step, yes, but throughout Freshers' week, you will get to know so many new people who will make sure that your time at Uni is as enjoyable as possible. Freshers' weeks will be the most amazing week of partying and drinking you will have, but make sure you know where your limits are because waking up the next morning with an insanely bad headache is the worst feeling you can possibly ever imagine.

If you are at Uni now and feel homesick and like you're never going to fit in, believe in yourself, keep positive and never forget that your friends and family are always going to be there for you in times of need.

I would also be more than happy to listen to you and help you with the problems that may have arisen from your first few weeks at Uni! Just drop me an e-mail or a comment!