In September 2019, I did the thing that I’d dreamed about for years; moved to university to further my education in Physics and get closer to my supernova sized dreams. As it was a few months ago now, it feels like a distant memory compared to the excitement of everyday life studying my passion and spending time with the best people I could’ve ever wished of meeting. Saying that though, I feel like now is a better time than ever to talk about my experience and maybe explain what I would’ve done differently.
The week before I moved to Leicester was a busy one, we had only just returned from Asia and I hadn’t got a lot sorted; that’s probably one thing I would change, sorting out all the stuff I needed for moving previous to a few days/hours before packing the car to go… but that’s a typical me thing to do. One thing I would recommend, especially if it is easy to go home at some point, is to not take everything from your house when first moving. Take essentials and your favourite clothes (and a LOAD of underwear and socks, believe me!), but hang back on lots of the stuff back at home. I say this because a lot of the time, accommodation isn’t the best with storage space, or sometimes space in general. I took a bedside table, the one they sell at IKEA with two drawers, for a bedside table and this gave me more room for storage and a sturdier table; just think smart about storage!
Another way to maximise space is using the underneath of your bed to put things like storage boxes, suitcases and bags, and any other bulky items that will fit.
That’s probably enough on the packing side of the moving experience for now!
What I didn’t appreciate enough to begin with was the fact I already had friends in Leicester because of group chats formed after results day. Whether that was within my accommodation, or on my course. In fact, one of the people I’d been in contact with on the Physics chat is now my boyfriend, so you never know what can happen! This network of people is a great way to leave behind all the emotions of leaving home; we met up straight after my parents left and my mind was then occupied and I was just happy to be with these not-so-strangers that I’d been chatting to for a month or so already.
That first weekend was full of fun, and the same can be said about the rest of fresher’s week; meeting people and lecturers, getting used to the new surroundings, signing up for societies and more. The joy of being with like-minded people and realising you’re starting a new chapter in life is one that I have never experienced before, it was so freeing. However, saying that, some people find starting university very difficult and stressful; all I can say is, make sure you look out for each other and speak out about emotions if you’re starting to feel that way too. I have personally just gone through some tough times, especially after coming back after Christmas and having to spend my birthday away from home. I found this pretty difficult, but again, I had lots of support!
Overall, my experience at the University of Leicester has been wonderful! If anyone has any questions about uni life, Leicester Uni itself, or anything else about A Levels to Physics, I'd be happy to answer and chat!