{"id":8356,"date":"2021-06-08T11:20:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T10:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/student-voices\/?p=8356"},"modified":"2021-07-07T18:01:52","modified_gmt":"2021-07-07T17:01:52","slug":"top-tips-for-settling-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/student-voices\/2021\/06\/08\/top-tips-for-settling-in\/","title":{"rendered":"My top tips for settling in"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re reading this, I\u2019m going to assume that you\u2019re coming to York in September – yay! Or you\u2019re at least considering it, which is also worth a yay! And if, like me, when I was in your shoes, you might also be a contextual offer holder as well. So that\u2019s a triple yay! But jokes aside, a serious congratulations for your achievements so far, now you can get onto the fun but also the stressful task of preparing for university! Yikes – I know, where do you even begin? Well, at least from me, I\u2019m going to cover my top 5 tips for settling in when you arrive<\/strong>. I hope they will give you some inspiration that will make this process more enjoyable – as it should be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to talk first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just like you, everyone else is in a new environment and likely anxious. So it\u2019s more likely than not that everyone will be quite friendly as you\u2019re all trying to make friends. First year and freshers especially are the prime time for meeting your friends for life. So don\u2019t be afraid to be the first person to talk and break the ice – no one will bite! Well, hopefully not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you invite people to meet up for the first lecture, try out a cute caf\u00e9, join a society or even a walk around the neighbourhood, seize the opportunities and find your people. The same applies to when you\u2019re in accommodation, the kitchen is usually the student hub, so be there when everyone else is and you will get to know your housemates much quicker and easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore your college, campus and the City<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In your first week or so of university, your course will not have usually started the content properly yet, so this is a great chance to take the time to get familiar with your surroundings. Take a walk right around your college, around the campus you are based on, and maybe the other one too. And also check out the city, just a walk will do, and perhaps pick out some places you want to check out properly on your next trip. All the city centre roads can seem very confusing at first, but trust me when I say there\u2019s a system and you\u2019ll slowly get it! I\u2019m still getting there personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from that, try and get familiar with the bus routes and how the buses work, key locations like the library, Nisa shops, as well as lecture and seminar rooms. Exploring these a bit now should be quite helpful in helping you get used to things once your degree content properly starts up. And if your degree started with content-heavy work as soon as you arrived then – I\u2019m so sorry – but don\u2019t worry, you will also be fine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n