Transition
Naomi Allaway shares her experience of settling into university
M
oving away to university is a step that many young people take; this year I began my own journey. After careful consideration I decided to go to Glasgow Uni. The only problem was I had never actually been to Glasgow, in fact, I had never even been to Scotland! What surprised me when I got here was that, even though it is a relatively big place, the people seemed to be really caring and friendly.
For the first few days I was excited, everything was new and I couldn't wait to get out and about. As my first week wound on I started feeling a bit lonely and I knew it would be a long time until I saw my friends again. But it wasn't long before I made some new friends, which proved to be quite easy since most people were in the same situation.
The main thing that struck me about studying in Scotland was that everyone was younger than me. Having stayed in school until 18, I found it slightly odd that most other people in my lectures were 17. The most challenging part of moving to university is the necessity to get on with people that you wouldn’t normally associate with, let alone share a flat with.
The main thing that struck me about studying in Scotland was that everyone was younger than me
A big difference is the learning style at university compared to school or college. At school your study is mostly directed by the curriculum, targeted towards exams and there is a lot more contact time between students and teaching staff. However, at university, the learning style is very different with lectures being the main contact time. These lectures are not targeted towards exams, just to help widen students' knowledge.
The lectures are very different from school classes, they really just give the bare bones of what you are expected to know and learn and they are much, much bigger. Many of the core first year subjects are the same for people studying within a related field. In other words everyone doing a Bsc (Batchelor of Science) took Biology and Chemistry for the first year. Self directed study is the main way of studying at university, it’s your own fault if you miss deadlines.
What you get out of Uni is dependent on what you put in, no one will chase after you for work to be handed in. All these differences add up to create a massive life change. For most young people advancing into university is an incredible experience, but for some it can be a financial nightmare. For me university means the start of something really exciting. Time to learn, meet new people, make friends and start a life of my own.
