My First Steps in HE – Kieran’s Story

Now that I’d completed phase one, it was time for phase two. My first couple of weeks at University.

On the first day of Uni, I was really nervous for a multitude of reasons. Not only was I going there as the first in my family, but I was also going there as someone who’d never really been to Worcester before. I’d also never travelled on the train by myself before. Don’t be afraid if you feel the same when you start University. It’s natural. For me, I was only going to a city that’s 45 minutes away from where I live, but for others, it could be that you move 3 or 4 hours away from home. And that will be scary. But you’ll have all the tools you need to make sure that those first-week nerves soon disappear.

After being introduced to the course by Bill, it was time for us to introduce ourselves to one another. And that’s when I soon realised that I didn’t need to have all these nerves as most, if not all, of the people on the course were in the same boat as I was. We were all starting in a new place. We’d all never had any experience of University before. And we’d also never imagined we’d be studying a law degree. So just like I said, there will always be ways for you to calm those initial nerves. They may not go away completely, but they will at least die down and allow you to really settle in on your course.

However, I will admit it can be quite daunting knowing that this is it. This is the moment you’ve been building towards. Suddenly realising that I was actually at university studying law really hit home. And no matter how hard I tried to stop feeling so nervous, there can often be this sense of responsibility, and sometimes pressure, to do well. That was something I really felt since I was the first one to ever attempt going to university. I felt like I had the responsibility of doing well, not just for myself, but for my entire family. And it can be hard knowing that and wondering if you’ll be able to achieve the goals you set out. But the best advice I can give is the best way to ease that pressure and relieve that responsibility is to put all of that into your work because it really can benefit you.

Even in those first few weeks, start doing that little bit of extra reading or explore a case in an inch more detail. And the more you do that, the easier it will become to see that you can very much achieve the goals you want.

Throughout the first weeks, it had been really nice to make some friends from the get-go, and it was also really nice to find out about their journeys to university and why they’d chosen Worcester. It was so nice to be able to bond with people so quickly and realise that we were all in it together, and because of that, we’d always be there to help each other through it. It was also really nice to see that the vast majority had chosen Worcester for similar reasons. We all saw it as a chance to make a small piece of history. And you’ll also realise that they will be just as nervous as you are, so don’t ever think you’ll be alone in that respect. Knowing that you’re not the only one will automatically ease things ever so slightly so be sure to make really good use of the friends you make, even more so in the first few weeks!

Now, the great thing about university is that it gives you an array of different responsibilities. Through the first month or so it’ll soon be apparent how much responsibility you now have. You’ll be responsible for your timekeeping, your own work, your own money and much more. However, sometimes some of these responsibilities can cause you, or your family members, to constantly panic.

And that’s what life was like for my first week or two thanks to my mum.

She was always panicking that I’d forget something or that I’d be late, and no matter how much I’d tell her that I wouldn’t, she would never believe me. It would turn out she’d be having the last laugh though…. as one day I’d somehow managed to forget my house keys… which meant that when I got home, I had to sit outside and wait… for 45 minutes. So one lesson to learn from me is, don’t take your parents warnings for granted if you’re living at home when at university.

But what I’d also say is, don’t get frustrated if your parents are constantly worrying and treating you as if it were your first day in school for the start of your university journey. Because no matter if you’re living at home, or staying away, they will always want what’s best for you and they’ll want you to achieve the best you can. As much as it’s a transitional phase for you, it’s also one for them, and they will often have similar feelings to you. They’ll have to adjust to a lot of things, like you, not being home as often, or you leaving really early in the morning and coming back really late at night. So if they are worrying and fretting then just know they only ever have your best interests at heart, and once things settle down and you’re comfortable, then they will be too!