Five students on navigating their first year in university

Besides that, Wong also took it upon himself to learn more about his area of residence in Southampton. Keeping a log of nearby shops, cafes, entertainment sites and places of personal interest helped him build a navigation of the city. “Keeping a tab on where the nearest grocery stores are helped kickstart my journey abroad. Plus knowing where the nearby parks and cafes are provided comfort and made me less anxious during my first few weeks there,” he adds. 

For some students closer to home, attending open days and seeking advice from their seniors before the start of their semester was one way of preparing themselves for the high school-to-university transition. Laurel Soo, an architecture undergraduate at Taylor’s University, had taken these measures to better understand her course and industry. “Attending open days gave me ample opportunities to ask questions about my chosen degree and subsequent lessons in person. Moreover, I had asked my dad to reach out to his friend, whose job was directly related to my chosen degree. He gave me various pointers regarding coursework, university life, and the proper steps to take once I graduate. It was an extremely beneficial conversation,” she states. 

Navigating Uncharted Waters

Another critical aspect of surviving your freshman year is how you handle your transition to a new environment. Leaving a structured and monitored routine for a completely independent lifestyle can be rather challenging. You will be pushed out of your comfort zone, with an increased need to think on your feet and tackle problems on your own. 

For most freshmen, being independent starts with taking care of the bare essentials, whether it is making their own meals, doing their own laundry or managing their own finances. However, Nikuni Vig, an accounting student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), thinks there is more than meets the eye. 

“Being independent isn’t just handling your daily chores; it’s also about managing your emotions and time effectively,” he says. “Some of the things I struggled with were impromptu presentations, managing work without past experience, or speaking up and taking the lead on tasks.” 

This was particularly true for Soo, who was tasked with building 3D models for one of her modules in architecture. The brief was standard materials but total creative freedom, which sounded easier than it actually was. “My approach was to browse the internet for inspiration and references to develop an effective plan. But determining the right material to use for the scale and proportion required was no easy feat,” she says. 

It was through this project that she realised that becoming independent doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything alone. “It was through attentiveness and much effort that I could produce the models to my satisfaction. The entire process was significantly easier and even fun once I became acquainted with the people in my course facing similar challenges.”