When becoming a first-year student, there are many adjustments to make daily; from adapting to a completely independent lifestyle, to simply living so far away from home. Getting used to life at university can seem intimidating to the whole family, but don’t worry…  goodbyes get easier.

I remember feeling overwhelmed with uncertainty moving into a completely new city crowded with unknown faces as we drove to my accommodation with a car filled with belongings. Being born as a triplet, I lived connected to my siblings through primary to secondary school. The move to university was always going to be challenging for my entire family as we travelled to different ends of the country to start our independent adventures.

At the start of joining university, my siblings and I struggled to find a routine for ourselves whilst my parents found it challenging to find a routine without children. However, after a few months passed, my family had adapted to the new “normal’ particularly with my parents as they enjoyed the limited amount of washing and cleaning. As the year went on, saying our goodbyes at the end of Christmas and Easter break wasn’t half as overwhelming as the first goodbye, with far fewer tears shed.

Overall, there’s nothing you need to actually prepare for or worry about when moving away from home for the first time. It’s important to remember every student joining university is going through a similar experience and simply the longer time you spend at university, the easier it gets as you learn to adjust to a different way of living.

Things I found helpful when leaving home for the first time:

• Regular FaceTime calls.
• Bringing homely belongings (e.g., decorations, blankets and LOTS of photos).
• Keep busy!
• Join lots of societies to meet new people in the same position.
• Get to know your surroundings – take a walk to the beautiful beach.