How to survive your first year at University

Congratulations! You did it! You got your place at Swansea and you're preparing to make the big move to start your university journey.  Some people say your first year of Uni is the best year of your life, but that doesn’t always mean it will always be easy. We’ve put together some tips and suggestions below to make your freshers year a breeze. 

Manage your time well. 

We aren’t going to sugar coat it – managing your time at university can often be more challenging than the workload itself. However, once you find that perfect routine, the student life can get a whole lot easier. 

Depending on your course, you may find yourself having a few hours spare between lectures. We recommend using this time to get some of those pesky, necessary chores done. Perhaps it could be doing some extra reading for a seminar, getting that weekly food shop ticked off the to-do-list, squeezing in a gym session, or even just chilling out and vibing to some music in your bedroom (downtime is important for reducing stress after all). It’s important to balance your work, study, and social life well to be successful at university. 

Join a Society or a Sports Club. 

We are very blessed in Swansea to have such a wide variety of Societies and Sports Clubs available. Whether you’re into competitive sport, legal debates, politics, rugby (you are in Wales now after all), there's bound to be something you like. 

Joining a Society or a Club is also an amazing way to make friends! And try out some new hobbies. Want to see the full range of clubs in Swansea? Click here.

Try your best to keep to a budget. 

Listen. We’ve all been there, you say you're going to be careful with spending your money this month and before you know it, you’re throwing away your weekly food shop allowance on some drinks at a Sin City Hustle, or a GWA Wednesday. We get it, it happens to the best of us, really! 

However, we really do recommend trying your absolute best to stick to a budget plan that works for you! All those little transactions do add up – implementing good habits like preparing a packed lunch for a library study session could save you a big chunk of money in the long run. 

Take care of your mental health. 

We really do recommend placing just as much emphasis on taking care of your mental health as physical. 

Take the time to familiarise yourself with all the resources and services available to you.

The University has a well-being system in place that can offer support with stress, financial issues, and even provide free counselling. 

If you begin to suffer with your mental health at university, we urge you to reach out and talk to someone. Whether it be a family member, flat mate, close friend, personal tutor, GP, or even getting in touch with the services mentioned above – talking can result in a sense of relief and be the kick-starter for getting better. 

Get to know your new home! 

We feel this one is a no brainer - You’ve packed up your things, made the move to Swansea, seen the University, now what? Now it’s time to see what the rest of Swansea has to offer. After all, you are going to be living here for the next 3 to 4 years of your life. 

Swansea is home to some amazing, well-known locations, like the Gower peninsula. With incredible beaches, breath-taking views and amazing coastal walks, we highly recommend taking a trip to see what all the fuss is about.