Make sure you have all the forms you need completed sorted with plenty of time.
There’s lots of things you need to prepare to officially be a student, from your application to student finance it can be a lot for anyone. My advice would be to make sure you are completing this with plenty of time. Not having to stress closer to the time can prevent you working yourself up.
Speak to the UA92 Well-Being Team before starting.
For me this was the best thing I did. If you have any worries, learning difficulties, hidden or physical disabilities, they are there to support you. Letting the team know before you start will mean you can get any support you need prior to starting and you will already know some friendly faces when you start.
Get to know your surroundings.
I like to know where I’m going when starting something new. Get to know more about the university by going to Open Days and visiting the campus beforehand. It made me feel a lot more comfortable when it came to starting my course. If you live further away from Manchester and you will be living in Student Accommodation, check out the areas around where you will be spending time as a student.
I’d also recommend travelling the route that you will be using on your first day – work out whether you’ll be travelling by bus, train, or car. Depending on what time you travel, it may take longer, so do the extract route at the time you will be travelling. I guarantee, you will feel more prepared and less stressed.
Try to find people who are on your course.
Social media makes this a lot easier! When you come to an Applicant Visit Days, try and speak to those who are in your course taster session. They potentially could be your classmates, so getting to know them early means you will have a friendly face on your first day!
There’s also a Facebook group for all those applying to study at UA92 in September so join that and reach out to people on there. Knowing one person could make you feel a lot more at ease in the lead up to starting and on your first day.
Embrace the change.
Going to university is a big change – it’s not always easy at first and can take a few weeks to settle in. Recognising that this is completely normal and accepting it is one step closer to it getting easier. Although it might be a bit of an adjustment, it’s a very exciting time. It’s your next step in education and all the hard work you have put in to this point has got you here, so you should be proud!
Muhammad Abby – UA92 Journalism Graduate