Things I Wish I Knew in my First Year of Uni
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
Uni is hard. It’s daunting going to classes that you don't share with a single friend, and it’s isolating having to navigate an entirely new system practically on your own. As someone who has just navigated through the ups and downs of the first year of uni, i’ll tell you what we all wish we knew back when we were just getting started.
Making friends at uni is not easy
High school is an extremely different environment compared to uni. Your homegroup would have the same people you've literally grown up with, English class probably had a few people from your Maths class, and you’d use free study periods to just hang out with the people same people each week. You almost were never alone when you were on campus in high school - whether it was friends or the teachers that have taught you since you were a Year 7, at least one person knew you on campus. Two weeks into uni, it’s much harder to tell if all your tutors know your name, make that even one.
Classes are filled with unfamiliar faces, and after the 1-hour tute is over, people either rush to their next class or rush off campus (we don’t blame them…)
Having a support system of friends at uni makes it a million times more enjoyable. Knowing that there is someone to study with on campus, get lunch at Cafe Commercio, or even someone to walk you to class can change the way you view uni.
For many, making friends is the hardest challenge at uni and also the biggest de-motivator for attending class, completing school work, and coming to exciting campus events.
There isn't a perfect step-by-step guide on how to make friends, but these things make it practically fool-proof:
Attend university club events:Attend ANYTHING that interests you, because you’ll find people who have the same interests as you! Don’t confine yourself to your discipline only, many clubs want a diverse crowd of people coming to their events.
Join a facebook group: Going to things in person may not be your forte, so try online first. You can get advice on subject selection and assignments on these types of forums as well.
Actually introduce yourself to people: These first few weeks of uni is the season of small talk, take advantage of it and get to know your classmates
Hold yourself accountable - go to that lecture!
“I’ll watch it online”, the famous last words of a student who will be cramming five weeks of lectures during exam season…
Struggling to find a seat in the lecture halls may be an issue in Week 1, then suddenly the lecturer is talking to a room of ten people…
Attendance in lectures drops instantly, but that doesn't mean your focus should drop either. Lecture attendance actually does mean a lot more than you think.
By dismissing lectures, you actually might be creating a lot more trouble for yourself. You’ll realise that the 2-hour allocated time slot for your Monday lecture actually works a lot better for you, rather than trying to go through the content 15 mins before your tute starts. Of course it might be more convenient to watch it online in the library, rather than walking all the way to the lecture hall - but try your best to never skip a lecture when it's being held.
Balance your extracurriculars and work
Uni is expensive, the $18 lunches everyday quickly add up and aren't going to pay for themselves. It’s also so tempting to say "yes" to another nightout, knowing that you have an assignment due the next morning.
The main challenge of uni might not be grades, attendance or extracurriculars - but it actually might be balance.
During your first year, you will quickly begin to realise how much you can take on. It’s easy to accept more than what you can provide, and you’ll eventually find yourself sacrificing one of your commitments, the most common victim being uni work. With most people doing four units, working 20+ hours a week and being in multiple uni clubs, the workload can quickly overwhelm you. Always try to underpromise but overdeliver if you have the capabilities - most importantly, always prioritise school work.
It’s okay to not have everything figured out
“What are you majoring in?”
“What subjects are you doing next sem?”
“Have you applied for any commerce clubs?”
Everyone is fixated on what their pathway is, so you might think you’re falling behind. In reality, the majority of people don't know what they're doing either.
Being in your first year is the perfect time to make mistakes, see what works for you and figure out your interests.
Your first year is the year where you enrol into that random discipline subject just for the fun of it, or try your best to get through the cruel compulsory subjects which you promptly realise you will not be majoring in! The first year is for experimenting and finding what you genuinely enjoy studying, and if you still can’t figure it out by the end of your first year - that's okay too.
Uni is hard, but these are some tips which can make your first months a bit more enjoyable. Reassuring yourself that you’ll be okay, and having a community you can fall back on is one of the most important factors for a successful year. Have fun but learn from our experience, balance is key.
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