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May's Top Tips for Starting Uni at Sunderland

Tuesday 03-09-2024 - 14:42

May's Top Tips for Starting Uni at Sunderland

By Than Thar Htet (May)

As September arrives and Your Freshers gets closer, we hope you're looking forward to the start of your university journey! But we know that you'll also have lots of questions and maybe a few nerves too. MBA Business Administration student May is here to offer some tip tops for settling in at Sunderland, based on her own experience.

You can also check out the University's Welcome Hub to make sure you're all on track, and Your Freshers hub to find out about all the events Your SU is running between 14th-21st September and everything we do to support you the whole year round.

Than Thar Htet (May)

Settling In

As someone who used to vicariously live through other people’s university life via YouTube videos and social media, I still felt uneasy when I had to start getting ready to come to university. I wanted to make the most of the experience. I may have tried too hard as I found myself running for the Students’ Union Elections, less than 2 months after arriving at the University! But let me rewind, now that I have (if I do say so myself) settled in, I wish I could tell my past self not to worry and that it would all work out. Of course, I have some key takeaways to share about the whole experience from preparing to come, to socialising and finding your way around.

Bring Your Essentials

Despite initial fears, university life is manageable and enjoyable as for most, this is your first time living away from home and being responsible for yourself. The main takeaway I have for packing is to bring your essentials such as medicine, basic clothes, shoes, laptop, bedding, and towels. Everything else is figure-out-able and won’t impact your overall university experience so don’t let these little logistical snags affect you too much!

Student Discounts – Make the Most of Them!

Once you arrive, you can also do your research on student discounts and which places offer them, and get university essentials on a budget for getting stuff like utensils and kitchen equipment, which may be hard to pack. There’s a whole world of student discounts out there waiting to be found, so it’s worth taking the time to explore them. If you need something, there’s a good chance somewhere that sells it will operate a student discount.

Be Open to Small Talk

I found that it wasn’t too hard to get to know the people who live with you. At a student accommodation, you’ll run into each other often in the shared kitchen and as long as you seem open to starting small talk, you’ll get to know people asap! I know this will come to some more easily than others, and it may feel a bit forced and awkward to begin with, but it’s definitely worth that initial effort and pretty much everyone will be feeling those nerves. You’ll soon find yourself mastering the art of small talk and the classic conversation of repeating your course and where you’ve come from in the first week. 

Go Along to Your Freshers Events

During the free time you have before classes start and while you are settling in, there will be loads of events organised by the Students’ Union, and these are a great way to meet people at the start of your time at university. These include on-campus activities, club nights in Sunderland in collaboration with Independent, Your Freshers Fair and Give It A Go Week, where you can meet societies and try out their activities to see if you’d like to join. For me, those initial few weeks were the best time to socialise as you don’t have to worry about the academic side of things yet. Going to Your Freshers events got myself out of my comfort zone, and I even started taking on crocheting! I am still a part of the societies I joined during that time and regularly go to the meet-ups, even becoming a part of one of the societies' committees!

Expand and Grow Your Connections

One piece of advice I would give is make a LinkedIn. It's a great chance to network as you progress through university, but you can also give that to people as a way of staying in touch if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your other social media handles. I learned that friendship groups are fluid and it’s important to not just talk to your course mates, but also to those in different year groups who have already gone through exactly what you are experiencing. It made my experience so much easier and I am so grateful for them as I have so many friends now who are from different nationalities and backgrounds.  Get to know your surroundings with them and they’ll share the best study spots and amenities available to you as a student.

Studying Tips

As for studying, you may see your timetable and see that you have lots of free time! This is wonderful but keep in mind assignments do take longer and are not something you can complete in a week. I’d recommend having planner systems in your student email to block out when to study.  Remember you still have a social life, time to do laundry, cook, or even work jobs if that's your thing or something you need to do.

Embrace the Experience

My final piece of advice for new incoming students would be to take it easy, enjoy the newness of it all, and remember that exciting times are ahead of you! 

Categories:

Featured, Lifestyle

Related Tags :

Freshers, Welcome Week, Your Freshers, Top Tips, Advice,

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