Post-Fresher's-Week Impressions

Hello, Reader!

I have been living my best life at uni for over a week now and I figured it’s time for an update after my Expectations Before University post. Reading it back, I can see how nervous I actually was despite convincing myself that I’m just excited. If I had to describe my first week at university in one word it would be… long. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it just felt like each day was so full of socialising and events that it carried on forever. That times seven made for the longest week of my life. So after all this time, how do my first impressions compare with my worries from a week ago?

1. I’ll be a wallflower but also I’ll spread myself too thin.

My first worry was that I wasn’t going to integrate very well since I haven’t been very social during my gap year. Only a week in and I’ve suddenly developed amazing social skills. Out of nowhere, I went from being nervous about speaking to new people and spending my time at parties by the snack table to confidently sparking conversations with strangers and going out alone knowing I’ll be able to make friends there. As I expected, there are so many societies I’m interested in and I am doing a pretty good job at time management. Of course, lectures have just started and a lot of the societies have one-off events but I’m feeling pretty confident about how well I’m balancing everything at the minute.

2. I’ll struggle to take care of myself.

This is another worry that a lot of people can probably relate to, but so far I haven’t had much of a problem with this. I’ve been eating my veggies, having roughly three meals a day and taking my make up before going to sleep every night - so I’d say I’m doing a really good job. I was also worried that switching to a more plant-based diet would make my life much more difficult, but in reality, I’ve been finding it quite easy. Simple non-dairy swaps are often the same price as dairy products and special vegan meals are way too adventurous for my beginner cooking skills anyways. Student discounts are also life-saving. 

3. I’ll be behind in my course and everyone will be smarter than me.

Lastly, I was worried that a year out of my studies would put me behind others on my course. In reality, we’re all just as lost and confused. Whether it’s a year or just a summer, without practice, everyone’s memory fades and we end up in those same lectures learning the same things. The content overviews still overwhelm me, but I know that I just need to take it one day at a time. Even if that day begins with a lecture at 9am. 

So here’s how my first week is looking. Full disclosure; I am writing this the morning (afternoon) after a party following a Wetherspoons brunch, so I feel like that really tells you all you need to know. 

Love,

Agnes xo