Tips for freshers

Beginning your College journey is an exciting time full of opportunities, growth and new experiences. But it can also be a bit nerve-wracking. You’re stepping into a whole new world, and it’s normal to feel unsure or out of place. The good news? You’re not alone.

Settling in takes time, learning involves making mistakes and missing home while building your new life is okay. These nine tips are designed to help you navigate this exciting chapter with confidence and self-compassion.

You deserve to be here

Remember that they didn’t make a mistake. You deserve to be here at the College. You are not an imposter. Give yourself time and allow yourself to belong. You deserve to be here.

Give yourself time

Give yourself time to settle in. Don’t expect that you will feel entirely at home after week one has finished. Give yourself permission to get used to your new home, your new friends, your new city and to find your feet.

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Your work is not you

Try to remember that your work is not you. You will get criticism (and hopefully some positive feedback), but this is intended to help you to learn, so try not to take it too personally. Learning is about being about to tolerate the frustration of not knowing something.

Being homesick is normal

It is normal to miss your home, family and friends. It is important, for most people, to keep in touch, but it’s a good idea to try not to overly rely on your home contacts too much, as you may accidentally miss the chance to find new relationships here.

Get yourself into a routine

Try to establish some structure to your work. You may want to draft a clear but flexible timetable for the week that also allows you to stop working and to enjoy yourself.

You are good enough

Allow yourself to be ‘good enough’ in your art, your academic work and in other aspects of your life. Remember that you are here to develop and to learn, and attempting to get everything right may prove to be counter-productive. Don’t forget that striving for excellence is different from thinking that you have to be perfect. Striving for excellence requires you to take risks, make mistakes and learn from them.

It’s okay to feel anxious

Remember that everyone will be anxious to differing degrees about different things. You are not the only one feeling it. Try to be kind to yourself.

Look after your physical health

Looking after yourself physically as well as mentally is so important. Good (and enough) sleep, eating, some exercise and some balance with regard to lifestyle are the foundations for success.

If you need help, always reach out

If you would like to talk to someone about how you feeling, do. Don’t hesitate. You will probably find friends that you can talk to. Don’t be afraid to start to open yourself to people as you get to know them.

You can also contact Student Experience if you’d like to talk to a member of the support team: student.services@rwcmd.ac.uk.

Adapted from: Oxford University (2018) Eleven Top Tips for Freshers