University can be tough

This course would fail in supporting your transition to university if we didn’t talk about the challenges of university life. The aim of this article is to provide you with a balanced view of the realities of student life. It is not meant to make you worried about going to university. Instead, by sharing the real-life experiences of university students, we hope to prepare you for challenging times and reassure you that as a university we are well-prepared to support you.

Here are some of the challenges you might experience at university (note: this is not an exhaustive list):

1. Exam stress: You will have assessments regularly throughout your degree course. Whether in-person or online, timed or coursework, assessments put students under pressure. Working to a deadline on a piece of work that has an outcome on your degree can be stressful. There is support available to help you prepare academically and mentally for exam seasons.
2. Financial concerns: University fees are expensive and most students will rely on student loans to cover these and their living costs. If you are used to living with relatives or friends who share or cover many of your living costs, you may find it challenging learning to budget and manage your finances. Our Funding and Financial Support team can support you with making your money stretch further and there are bursaries available for those with low household incomes. See the ‘Financial Support’ step for details.
3. Imposter phenomenon: You did well enough at school to make it on to your chosen degree programme but now you’ve arrived at university. It might feel like everyone is smarter than you are, they are finding it easy, have lots of friends and are having a great time. In reality, no one has everything figured out perfectly all the time. Everyone has their own challenges and struggles. Remember you are as deserving of your place on your course at your university as anyone else. There is no such thing as the perfect student and there are lots of opportunities to meet other students who challenge the myth that everyone else has their lives figured out.
4. Loneliness: University life comes with greater independence and greater responsibility. This includes the responsibility to manage your social life and which activities you take part in. University classes may be much larger than at school or college and it can be easy to feel like a very small fish in a very big pond. There are lots of opportunities to meet new people and get involved with activities so you can choose to be with others when you want to socialise.
5. Illness, bereavement, or other personal challenges: Unfortunately, personal challenges are a fact of life. You are unlikely to get through your studies without feeling unwell or without undergoing personal difficulties. The Support and Wellbeing Team provide support and practical advice to students about any issues they are facing and can direct you to appropriate support services. The university also has policies to support your academic studies if you experience extenuating circumstances that impact your ability to study. Note: You will hear more about extenuating circumstances if you start your studies with us.
6. Academic struggles: University is hard. The reason a degree is so valued by employers is because it is evidence of your ability to work hard and juggle competing priorities. However, this doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time studying or figure things out on your own. The Libraries Learning Development Team offer workshops and resources to help you develop your academic, information and digital skills. Also, the Disability Support Service provide support to students with disabilities, long term health conditions and specific learning differences.

As a university, we can support our students with all of these challenges through a range of different support services. We will explore all of these in the next few steps.

The key message we would like you to take away from this article is that university has highs and lows. We are here to support you when things get tough, so please reach out.