Mo

My University Blog - part one

Hi, some may know me as Iamo from the forums. You may call me Mo (I am Mo...iamo...geddit? ).

Unlike some contributing to this blog, i have already completed a year at Uni and can give a good account of first year and the perils of becoming a second year- oh yes, PERILS. At the moment, i am on a 4 year course studying physics to give me a masters of physics at the end and then off into the real world, yippee!! (I say Yippee but actually i'm bricking it.

This blog will give a low-down of first year and i will try to be as truthful as i can. It will not go into too much detail about some subjects but thats for future blogs. Also, i am welcome to further questions. Just send me a PM. My door is always open. Apart from when i'm asleep. Or on the toilet. Or annoyed with you. Jokes aside, lets get started!

(Disclaimer, I apologise now for the tone of some of my language. Going to Uni can be incredibly stressful and worryful. I appreciate the seriousness of this subject and i so aim to help people with what i write.)

Results day i was hungover. Yes, I'm telling the truth. We had our party the night before, abit unorthodox i agree but it's what happened. Our reasoning was we'd be so out of it on results day that it would not matter if we flunked or not. This sticks in my mind as one of the more foolish pieces of reasoning i have ever ever done. Believe me, the nervousness of standing in a queue waiting for your results packet does nothing for the hangover nauseousness. If you don't make your requested grades then I'm afraid I can't help you all that much- all i can say is phone them ASAP as you may still have a place.

If you make the grade, as it were, well done!! Pat yourself on the back. Now lie down and sleep off that hangover if you don't take my advice and get down n dirty the night before. Alternatively, go out and enjoy yourself with your friend(s). Do what you like, not what you feel you should. Lots of people will have results day parties but you could also enjoy the amazing summer we're having (sarcasm) and buy a huge milkshake/ice cream (not sarcasm). Whatever you do, do it with people you like as, you never know, this day maybe the last time you will ever see some of them. I know i haven't seen some of my 'friends' since august last year.

In the month or so afterwards, i was sent stuff from Durham about directions and dates and freshers week and freshers handbooks and things to sign and things to look at and otherstuff. Don't be surprised by a parent/step-parent/sibling/random stranger to pick these up and reminisce. This is a good thing. Take the chance to rub it in their faces how much better life at Uni is compared to not at Uni. Btw, this will be the first of many chances.

Fast forward to freshers week, which in the case of Durham actually was invaded by lectures for the last two days. This maybe the most intense week of your life. Don't expect to be able to sit or sleep much. I heartily suggest that you get car based transport for the start of term. I filled the car to the ceiling with stuff and just wouldn't manage on public transport. Having said that, you hear stories of people cycling from germany with just panier racks and a cycle trailer. The nights and evenings of this week will be filled with various events/parties/activities. During the day you will have exciting things to keep you amused like buying books and hangovers. Explore the campus and find out where your lectures are held- this will save you some embarrassment in the first weeks, maybe even find out how the library system works if you're really keen (Or if you are me, don't find out how it works and then not use the library for a whole year...). It's in this week you may go to the two most important things of your first year- freshers fair and enrolment.

First I'll say abit about enrolment cos it's on the dull side. It's basically where you go and say what modules you want to do and in which course. Even though you signed up for a particular course, once you're in, you can usually swap courses as long as you have the right academic background. On enrollment, like enrollment at sixth form, you spend most of the day queueing (there are a lot of vowels in that word. It can't be spelt right).

Now, why is freshers fair so important? Well unless you want to spend 4years talking only to your fellow physics nerds, it's a major way of getting out there and meeting people, not to mention something to fill your oodles of free time if you're not a science student. Sign up to EVERYTHING. I should rephrase that. Sign up to whatever you want with no timetable considerations in mind. Everything will look good so thus, you will sign up to seemingly everything. Whatever you want to do, it'll be there- from ProEvo Soccer to folk dancing to human rights campaigning to Triathlon squads. Try something new, you never know, you might end up loving it. For example, i had never played Lacrosse before freshers week, now I'm captain.

What else happens at freshers week? Um... my memory is getting old and hazy. Freshers Flu happens. Yeh. Take MultiVits or VitC supplements to stave off the worse of the illness but i can pretty much guarantee you will get ill (Try to make sure it isn't an STI. Use the ample amounts of free condoms!).

The only other thing i can think of is that it will be very expensive so try to save some money for it or get that student account open with it's nice overdraft.

Moving swiftly on: term time. This means lectures and tutorials and labs sessions and this that and the other. Try not to miss them. It makes life alot easier if you don't, even if it means only 4hours sleep in order to make a 9am lecture. You can thank me when you start revising in 8 months time. However, lectures are optional so it really is down to you. Apart from that, there isn't much to say. You should know by now how you learn best but try to go over each lecture of the day at the end of the day but before evening activities. You get told this again and again and you won't do it. I didn't. But if you do, again you can send me the flowers in 8 months time. As a scientist we get set problems and tasks to do each week, much like homework. I can't comment on an arts course really but most people agree that they have a much lighter load overall (see my 22hours a week contact time against and arts 6hours a week ¬_¬ ). If you're a scientist, just think value for money in terms of tuition fees and then you can laugh at them. If you're an artist, just ask a scientist how many 9am starts they have and then laugh back.

Time management is useful. Go to all your contact hours but make sure you spend enough time in your societies/clubs and socialising and even spending down time by yourself. Many people have commented that Uni, especially first year, is more a life experience with a degree tacked on. havign said all that about lectures at al... well you only get first year once! Go out and live it to the full! It's likely that it doesnt even count towards your final degree!

Holidays are long. Laugh at people not at Uni. Make sure they're jealous of your long holidays.

I'm running out of stuff i can think to write about and my fingers are getting typing sore so don't worry, this Origin of Species will end soon enough. I hate to end on a downer but this is just as important. The first few weeks may be emotionally tough. You're thrown into a melting pot of people away from that which is familiar and that you know. You may feel that living with so many strangers in such close proximity and being forced to coexist tears away your personal space. These are natural feelings and many people get them. Someone who lived upstairs to me told us later of her sleepless nights. It wasn't that she wasn't used to being away or meeting new people but it was so much so quickly and so fast that it got in the way of her sleep. It's strange feeling being lonely with so many nice people around but you can take comfort in the fact that it will soon pass as longs as you keep socialising and doing extra curricular activities. If you think about it, you're all in the same boat.

OK, im pooped out and need to pack to go to France so I'll end here. There's loads i haven't talked about, money, exams, societies etc but i'll leave that to someone else or maybe later. Good luck for results day and don't worry, Uni will be just fabulous! Fabulous!

I am Mo