By Rachel Louise Atkin
Moving to university is strange – that’s how I remember it anyway. It was strange because it was a complete mess of feelings and I was thinking about ten things at the same time. My moving weekend didn’t start great when it turned out I couldn’t fit all of the books I’d bought with me onto my shelf (I’m a literature student, it’s what we do), but speaking to my housemates for the first time kind of gave me the sense that everybody was in the same boat. We were all a little scared, a little excited, and relieved to know the others were too.
But of course, the worries didn’t go away after the first weekend. I remember spending days and days worrying about what exactly could go wrong in each situation. What if I didn’t learn how to cook? Or I did… but set the kitchen on fire? Or if everyone was smarter than me? Or if I ran out of money? You can’t exactly get rid of fears like this, and questions are bound to plague anybody who is making such a huge step in their life towards independence. But take it from a third year who survived – I don’t really see why I worried about all of that stuff anymore. There are so many things which I wish I could go back and tell myself in first year, just to make the experience that less daunting and more like something I want to look back on with pride. Every experience is one in which you learn something, and though these lessons are important, so is realising that it’s okay to just stop worrying, and enjoy your year.
If there is one thing I wish I would’ve known, it’s that it’s completely okay just to be yourself. For a long time, I tried to please others in the way I dressed, acted, and spoke, but all it did was make me constantly worry about how I was perceived. Being yourself is underrated. Not only does it just make things 100% easier in terms of not always having to make an impression, but I felt that it gave me the confidence to develop my own voice in my assignments. For a long time, I would play on things that other people had said in lectures and seminars because I was too afraid to create my own arguments. Now, I know that’s perfectly okay. Establishing my own critical voice and sense of self made me feel more confident, and I’m much happier overall.
The highlight for me on the course last year was all of the reading. We got through one text every 1-2 weeks per module. And we did three modules per semester. That’s a lot of reading. But I loved it. You think I’m crazy right now, but reading is what I live for. Bear this in mind; there’s so much stuff to read, but it’s worth it. Maybe one week you’ll not want to read a text just because you can’t be bothered. Okay, you do that, but you’ll never know what Barthes meant by ‘Death of the Author’ and you’ll never actually find out the importance of being earnest. The texts are rich with culture, information and ideas which really enhance your university experience. Over the past few years, I have uncovered some real favourites.
On the flip side, don’t stress yourself out with work. Set yourself certain times to do reading and research so that you can give yourself breaks and time to do other things. There are so many amazing places in York. On the first week I walked the walls with my housemates, and it was a great way of getting to know them. The Perky Peacock is a cafe on Gillygate which do amazing coffee (and YSJ students get a discount too). The Castle Museum, Yorkshire Museum and Railway Museum are good places to go on days out, and students get in free to York Minster. On Saturday nights the SU had karaoke, and the Golden Fleece is the most haunted pub in York. Oh, and check out the cocktails in Evil Eye too.
If I have to sum up my advice for you, it’s just to make the most of it. You can’t re-do your first year, and it’s such a great opportunity to try new things and meet new people, as well as laying a good foundation for the rest of your degree. York St John is full of amazing, colourful and creative students and staff – the expanse of sports and societies just shows this. You’ll want to look back on the year knowing that it was the best it could be, so don’t worry about other people, just make yourself happy.
I’m most looking forward to discussing my texts next year. (That’s boring, sorry.) Third year gives you access to a lot of well-known texts and by this point I’ve really developed my confidence. But I’m also going to spend about half of my life in the library because dare I say it – dissertation. Wow. You lucky first years.