Stresses at university and how to handle them

When you come to university its most likely you will have some turbulent times and you may feel stressed and that things are getting on top of you. This is completely normal and I guarantee everyone will go through it at some points. I’m going to share with you a few little tips I use to help me overcome stress and the different types of help you can get if you have an issue.

So, first you, I’m sure you can imagine people get stressed about work. This is no surprise as university is aimed at challenging individuals to help them to learn. The difference between learning style at university and school can be daunting. At university, as an independent learner, you need to be more proactive in your approach to your work. This will develop a range of skills which employers look for in the future. Sometimes you can feel like you’re struggling and that you’re in at the deep end. There is no need to panic if you feel like this. There a several avenues you can go down to alleviate your stress. Firstly, you can go to see your course leader – they can answer any questions which are puzzling you and can provide clarity on the course content. Getting to know your lecturers is always useful and can reassure you that you can get the help you need. Secondly, a similar avenue is contacting your seminar leaders. This is particularly useful if you are struggling with seminar work. They can clear up issues you have with content and then they can guide you in an approach to solve the seminar work. Both seminar tutors and lectures have weekly office hours so it is always easy to get in contact. Thirdly, never underestimate meeting with course mates. Even if you all are struggling with some course content it can sometimes be useful to work together to try and combat your issues. Sharing ideas can help you think of new ones. This also helps you to get to know others on your course.

Aside from work you may have stress when it comes to housing. Finding a house can be stressful when deciding who to live with and where to live. The main student areas for the University of York are:

• • Heslington, which is where Campus West is based
  • Badger Hill, which sits between Campus West and Campus East
  • Fishergate, situated on the main bus route and a short walk into town
  • Hull Road, which stretches from the Heslington East campus to town
  • Tang Hall, a short walk from Campus West

This is just a shortlist of some areas you may wish to live of course, there are other places you can live. Choosing your house mates is not a task to take lightly. Try not to rush your decision and consider how many people you’d like to live with. This is an exciting time, getting to live with your friends, so enjoy it and don’t let it bother you. I currently live with ten people, this is an incredibly large house relative to other student houses. Although it’s a mad house we have a lot of fun. But listening to other’s experiences, I have not heard all great stories. It is important to get on with the people you choose to live with and make sure they like each other. When you live with people it’s different from spending time with them, sometimes if an issue arises it is best to confront it in a mild manor, for example, politely ask your housemate if they could not play their music so loud in the evening, or clean up their dishes are they have used them. Keeping peace in a house is essential to a hassle free home environment.

If you ever do start to have issues with housing, for example an unreasonable landlord, you don’t have to put up with it. There is a free advice service from YUSU (the York University Student Union) they can help with anything from questionable contracts, to unfair charges. Things are likely to get broken from time to time and this is a pain but the best thing to do is to treat your house with respect, keep on top of tidying and report any issues immediately to your landlords. The easier you are to cooperate with the smoother your tenancy will be and the less issues you will have with your landlord.

Remember, you chose to come to university to study your particular course – you know it’ll be tough at times but you look forward to the challenge. With regards to housing, one of the most exciting things about uni is renting a house with your friends! So don’t let small things escalate and you’ll have a ball.