Moving to university for the first time can be a nervous experience as it will be introducing you to a variety of activities and responsibilities you may be unfamiliar with, whether that is related to your accommodation or on your chosen course. For World Jump Day 2020, I’ll be looking at my own personal experience of moving to university and how there are many things that you can do and that the university offers to help you settle in after arriving at university, and how these will vary from person to person.

How did I feel about moving to university?: 

Starting a course in an area I had loved for years (Television Production) was why I was mainly excited to start university alongside being able to a place that I really liked having visited Bournemouth University during one of the open days. A sense of uncertainty as to what my course would involve during my first semester definitely helped boost my excitement alongside helping me settle in during the first few weeks.

Was I nervous about anything?:

Above all else, the main aspect of moving to university that had me nervous the most related to accommodation, mainly for the fact that I would be living away from the parents for the first time but thanks to my brother being in his second year at the time, he was a great source of advice when it came to moving. If you do feel nervous about moving to university in any way, talking to someone who has been or is currently attending is a great help.

What helped me settle in once I had arrived?:

The social opportunities both the university and Bournemouth offered to students helped me settle in very quickly, whether that involved going to a freshers event put on by the university at The Old Fire Station or just doing something with my new flatmates and course mates. During the first few weeks, there was so much on offer in Bournemouth that there was always something that you could go and do and understanding that the people around you are going through a very similar experience.

Different Experiences:

Everyone will have a different feeling about moving to university and I wanted to get an understanding of what it was like from a different perspective so I spoke to some of my coursemates to get a sense of what their experience of moving to Bournemouth was like:

“To be honest, I was really nervous about moving into university as it felt so far away from home and I didn’t know anyone that was going to the uni itself. I was the first person in my family to go to university, so I was nervous about the fact I didn’t have any knowledge about how anything would be at all, everything was new. Honestly knowing that everyone else was in the same boat! All of my house were all nervous as well and so we all stuck together, and then even if you aren’t close to your house, everyone from your course, or a society you choose to join, are all in the same position as well!”

(Katie McCamley, 2nd Year Television Production Student)

How did you feel about moving to university?:

“I was really excited to be living away from home”.

Were you nervous about anything?:

“I was nervous about meeting new people and what they would be like”.

What helped you settle in once you’d arrived?:

“The people in my flat being so nice”.

(Zak Kyriakides, 2nd Year Television Production Student)

“I was nervous but excited about moving to uni. I’d had a gap year so the anticipation was building and I was ready to move away from home, although getting to know a bunch of new people was the most stressful part.

Getting back into the swing of academic work and making new friends made me nervous, but once I got started it was no where near as bad as I had previously thought.

Starting the course itself helped, getting to know the people on my course and keeping busy with all the freshers event made the time fly”.

(Rachael Bruno, 2nd Year Television Production Student)