Walking into uni for the first time feels a bit like stepping onto a movie set where you don’t quite know your role yet. Everyone looks like they have it figured out; your flatmate making pasta in the shared kitchen, the students who already know each other from A-levels, the ones who somehow carry five textbooks on day one. Meanwhile, you’re silently googling “how long does it take to boil pasta?” in the corner.
If that sounds familiar (or like something you’re about to live through), here are the things I wish someone had told me before I started uni.
- Freshers’ Week isn’t your only chance to make friends
When I first arrived, I thought friendship at uni worked like speed-dating: if you didn’t bond with someone in Freshers’ Week, you’d be socially doomed forever.
Spoiler: not true.
People change courses, join new societies, or just get braver about talking to strangers. Some of my closest friends didn’t appear until the second semester or even second and third year. My tip is to say “yes” to the small stuff, grabbing coffee after a lecture, joining a random society taster, even chatting to the person next to you in the library. Uni friendships form in unexpected places.
- Your time is your currency
Unlike school, no one is standing over you making sure you’ve done the reading. You’ll have long gaps between lectures, and it’s easy to fall into the “I’ll do it later” trap.
What I learned (the hard way): every hour you don’t plan ends up disappearing into TikTok scrolls or “accidental naps.” Block out time in your calendar for studying, chores, and downtime and treat those blocks like appointments. You don’t have to live like a robot, but future-you will thank you for not starting an essay at 3 am.
- Money disappears faster than you think
Between flat decorations, nights out, train tickets home, and that “essential” Pret coffee every day, student loans felt like Monopoly money. By November, reality hit. Give yourself a weekly budget and stick to it. Track it in an app (or even just Notes on your phone).
And remember: the library exists so you don’t have to buy £60 textbooks.
- Professors are not scary gatekeepers
I spent weeks being too nervous to email a lecturer, worried I’d sound stupid. When I finally did, their reply was: “Of course, happy to help. Come by my office during hours.”
Most staff genuinely want you to succeed. Asking for clarification early saves you from spiralling later.
- It’s okay not to love every second
Uni life gets sold as “the best years of your life.” And while it can be amazing, there are also days where you’ll feel overwhelmed, homesick, or like you chose the wrong course. That doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’re human. Be patient with yourself. Reach out for support (friends, family, or the uni’s wellbeing services) and remember that everyone’s uni experience looks different.
Final advice
If I could go back and talk to fresher-me, I’d say: “You don’t need to have it all figured out. Uni is less about knowing the script and more about writing your own.”
So whether you’re about to start or you’re in your first year and still finding your feet, take a breath, give yourself grace, and know that you’ll come out the other side with stories, resilience, and friendships you never saw coming.
