Well, you’ve made it to university. What now? With this short guide to first year, I hope to offer some insight for all of our 2026 freshers.
As a first-year student, you will quickly realise that acquiring a balance between your studies and your social life is crucial to surviving university. In my experience, not figuring out this balance from the get-go will result in burnout and, unfortunately, a harsh reality check when you finally get your grades back.
So, if I were to give you just one piece of advice, it would simply be to attend all of your classes. While initially, staying in bed instead of going to your 8:30 am class might seem like a great idea, in the long run, these habits of unproductivity will contribute to an ever-growing feeling of demotivation that becomes harder and harder to shake as the year continues.
Speaking of classes, no matter how difficult you find it to start them, don’t leave your assignments until the last minute. Instead, chip away at them over the course of a few weeks, which, hopefully, will prevent any possibility of having to pull an all-nighter to finish an assignment that you’ve actually had weeks to complete – which never ends well. This is coming from someone who once didn’t sleep for 48 hours because I procrastinated doing my assignment for weeks on end, finally submitting it 3 hours before I had to catch a flight. So, trust me, all-nighters are never a good idea.
For most of you, leaving home for the first time, living with strangers in a completely new city, studying subjects at a degree level, and, on top of that, coming to Exeter knowing absolutely no one, is completely terrifying. And rightfully so. I think the key is turning that nervousness into excitement and trying new things despite it being scary, because university offers so much to look forward to.
Plus, meeting new people and making friends isn’t as scary and as difficult as you’ve maybe made yourself believe. If you’re living in university accommodation, whilst befriending your flatmates is definitely the easiest route to make friends, the reality is that sometimes you’re just not going to get along. And I promise that that is not the end of the world. There’s plenty of other ways to find new friends at university.
Joining societies that interest you is always a good option, because you will automatically meet people who share similar interests. They don’t just have to be sports or subject societies either; Exeter has so much to offer. Talking to people in your classes is also a good method of making friends – complaining about the amount of work that has been set is always a good conversation starter!
They don’t just have to be sports or subject societies either; Exeter has so much to offer. Talking to people in your classes is also a good method of making friends – complaining about the amount of work that has been set is always a good conversation starter!
University can feel lonely, no matter whether you’re a fresher or a third-year. We’re all adulting for the first time and exploring our newfound independence, which can be more overwhelming than I’d care to admit. Just try to remember that everyone is in the same boat, and even though they might not seem like it, everyone is just as nervous and as willing to make friends as you are. After a while, you’ll even look back and wonder what you were so worried about!
But most of all, give university a chance, because I bet that you’re going to love it.
