By Misha Bazarov, MSci Chemistry, Department of Chemistry
Starting uni is, of course, a stressful time, as it is a huge new step in your life, but the main thing to remember is that you are in the same boat with everybody else, and everyone is stressing out as much as you are!
One of the things that I found very useful is joining various official Facebook groups, like King’s Fresher’s and my accommodation group, as I was able to find people from my course, and those who will be living with me, so that I wasn’t going in ‘blindfolded’ and had made a few connections before arriving. I also found a few contacts of people who were already at King’s and that was useful as I was able to ask them for help and clarify many things. It was also helpful to see the fresher’s events people were planning on going to so we could go together. I personally did not buy wristbands, as I knew I would only go to a few events, so that is something to keep in mind.
I would also recommend checking out the KCLSU website to see all the different clubs and societies on offer at King’s. You will also have a chance to meet all the societies and sign up for them at the KCLSU fair in the first few weeks of uni, but it is good to have a rough idea of what stalls you would like to visit.
Another thing that I found useful is to make sure you get a planner and note down any important dates or events. Not only will that make sure you don’t miss anything, but it will help your organisation and will help to improve your timetable. I was able to find gaps in my weekly schedule and start swimming. It is also great to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines.
I hope that this helps you make the uni transition smoothly and remember to enjoy your time at uni and have fun!
Some great and important tips here, thanks for sharing! I think one of the most important things when starting at uni is to allow yourself time to adjust too and remember self-care so that you are on top form and can fully immerse yourself!