Hi, my name is Abi and I’m a first-year student studying Spanish and ab-initio French. I hope you enjoy reading about the whirlwind of a time that I’ve been having at Bath.
The move
After the rather exhausting stress of results day – I think it’s fair to say it was a results day like no other. The relief of being able to study at Bath was met with my sudden realisation that I needed to pack! Now organised packers would have ticked off their list week by week and have had everything packed well in advance of leaving home.
I, however, am anything but an organised human being. My packing consisted of me frantically throwing clothes into bags the night before, while my family were clearly on edge as they realised just how unprepared I was for this new journey I was about to embark on. However, we got here – tea towels were yet to be bought – but the list was *mostly* ticked off and my tea bags were safely in the kitchen. So really, I had all I needed! The idea of living on my own was daunting, to say the least, but once I realised that I was anything but alone, as I’ve got such lovely flatmates, I began to wipe away the tears and get involved with uni life.
Freshers’ 
Week
I think it’s best if I start by telling you that I really am ‘Little Miss Sensible.’ Too sensible for my own good at times. I’ve never really been a party person.
I just listen to Spanish music, drink my tea, and bake some cupcakes – that’s my idea of fun. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that …however, Freshers’ Week was my chance to peep outside of my shell and try new things – I know, how cliché?!
So, after sobbing to my parents moments before my first night out, worried at what I might be letting myself in for, I was converted to the “let your hair down” side of uni. It wasn’t the alcohol, or even the dancing, it was the social aspect that I hadn’t thought of, that was the most exciting for me.
Arena nights allowed me to meet so many interesting people. Squeezing in a little ‘tea and toast’ before bed was another way to find more people with common interests in a relaxed environment and fit in a cuppa before bed! Before going to sleep, I wrote down the names of all the people I’d remembered meeting…some people were a little vaguer than others, for example, it did take me a while to work out who ‘Northampton guy’ was.
Studying
It’s true what they say, uni really does make you more responsible and independent – studying is no exception. You must be motivated and be passionate about what you’re learning because you won’t have teachers giving you detention, or your parents reminding you to do the work. You must be organised.
Yes, it takes some getting used to. For me, I have felt overwhelmed yet fascinated by how different studying is at uni compared to college. How many lectures there are…but most importantly how it’s up to me to make a success of my course, through independent study, not just keeping up with the workload. It’ll take some adapting but I’m hoping by the end of the semester, I will feel more confident about finding the right balance between studying and having fun!
My uni experience so far
Uni is seriously what you make of it. It’s true. I’d love to say that I’ve done every fun thing that I possibly can here already, but I cannot. The truth is, we’re human and we don’t always want to go out.
Being here has brought with it new obstacles and psychological challenges. My advice would be…go out for a walk, talk to a friend. Don’t wallow, enjoy Bath! As soon as you step out of your room and breathe in some fresh air, you soon realise that there’s more to life than the four walls of your accommodation.
It helps that this campus is stunning. The fountain is most certainly my favourite place here, it’s just so calming. There are also so many things to get involved with to make the most of your uni experience, from the various societies, I for one had a great night at the salsa taster session, to baking, cooking and a variety of sports. There’s so much here to enjoy.
These last few weeks have been such a journey. It’s been exciting, a little nerve-wracking but so very amazing and hopefully I can share even more of this crazy adventure with you all soon.
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