Today student blogger Inderjosh Heer, second year Nursing undergraduate reflects back on his university experience in his first year sharing his top tips.
We know that University life can be a great challenge, but it’s not all bad! Today I will be giving my own experiences of being a student at BCU with tips and experiences which you can probably relate to and learn from!
Welcome Week
For me I joined university straight from college and had no idea of what life as a student entailed. However, going to Welcome Week gave me a massive boost in confidence. It gave me the opportunity to meet future course mates as well as being able to pick a wide variety of societies and services to enhance my experiences at university as well as meeting and making new friends.
Joining a society may not be for everyone, but I would definitely recommend joining one as you are able to meet with people with similar interests and trying new things is all about university life!! You may also want to start your own society if you have an interest in mind and I know that the student union are amazing in making that happen!
Moving to a new city, I felt that I needed a safe and friendly group of people that I could rely on and create some long lasting memories which instantly changed my experience which also enabled me to live life as a student!
Student accommodation
I think a massive fear about going to university is accommodation! I remember my first night in accommodation and to be honest I think I was a bit too scared! I had not even met up with any of my flatmates as I was too busy getting all my stuff and room set up! However, I simply went and introduced myself and we all started talking and I realised that we had more in common than I thought we had! I had also made a few other friends from the accommodation simply by approaching them!
The main fear is whether you will meet anyone and make friends, however you have got to remember that everybody is in the same boat which was what I had thought before moving, so in felt it was important to just put myself out there and this heavily influenced my confidence to another level which made me happy throughout my first year and gave me something to look forward too! Especially it being my first time living alone, it was important for me to get to know new people and friends to create a friendly and supportive environment!
Cooking and budgeting
Many students can be worried about aspects of university life such as learning how to cook, finance etc. But it all comes with practice and just giving it a go! Before university, I could not cook at all!! However, I felt that it gave me a chance to experiment with cooking, tailoring my own preferences and interests to making amazing and easy food! It all comes with practice and eventually becomes natural, so some nights I just put together a few ingredients and cooked something different and easy!
If you really get on with your flatmates, they may even cook something for you! For example, I remember we took it in turns to make something for everyone even if it was a simple roast dinner! Finance is something that students worry and struggle with! There is no right way at all on what students should do with money saving, people have different strategies. For example I keep a simple spreadsheet on how much I spend a week for example, but everyone is different and it could be that you may not wish to use spreadsheets but it’s certainly a coping mechanism for me and comforts my needs.
University can be a very challenging aspect of your life, however you only live once! Its best to really let your hair down and try to get out of your comfort zone which is something that I think I have achieved and will continue to so for the remainder of my university experience!
So, the main question is: What will your BCU journey entail?