Written by Sophie Norris
If I could go back in time and talk to year twelve Sophie, an eighteen-year-old who had just finished high school and was about to move four hours away, barely knowing anyone, I would say this:
‘You are going to have the time of your life living at university. You’ll meet friends you’ll have for life, and you’ll have experiences that will shape and grow you as a person. You may not know it now, but these will be some of the best years of your life.‘
My first day moving into uni accommodation.
I was greeted by my RL (Resident Leader) and exchanged awkward small talk with my soon-to-be next door neighbours.
Neighbours that would soon become my best friends. And small talk that would quickly evolve into long nights chatting in the common room, getting to know each other.
The best thing about moving out of home is that suddenly instead of living with your parents, you get to live under the same roof as some of your best mates.
There are a couple of things I wish I’d known before moving out of home.
The first: bring a lamp!
Those things are very handy, especially living on campus!
The second, and most important: is that you are not alone.
The beauty about Charles Sturt is that your fellow students will come from far and wide and in most cases, it will also be their first time living out of home!
So, take the opportunity to share the firsts together: whether it’s the first lap around Mount Panorama, the first (of many) late-night Maccas runs or the first meal you cook without having your mum’s recipe to rely on.
It’s inevitable that at times living away from home, you’ll become homesick.
But the beauty of homesickness is that it doesn’t mean you necessarily dislike what’s in front of you, just that it’s different to what you’re used to.
So, by all means, take the time to call your dad, and Facetime your dog when you feel it’s needed, because it’s normal to miss your home.
But also take the time to look around you and invest time into your new uni family you’ve just met, and I promise it will feel like your second home in no time.
My final word of advice, especially when it comes to making friends at uni, is to get involved with as much as possible in your first session.
Generally, your course loads are very light in the first few weeks of the session, and this is to give you time to adjust to a new lifestyle.
As overwhelming as it may seem, sign up for as many activities in Orientation Week as possible because this is the week that everyone is primed to meet new people and probably, just like you, are feeling a little nervous.
One of my favourite things about my time at uni was joining a club because it felt like (and was) my second family.
I was a part of Bathurst’s Football Club and even though I was extremely nervous rocking up to trials in my first week, knowing absolutely no one, it was the best choice I ever made!
So be proud of yourself for taking the leap to move out of home, and get excited for the adventure (with a bit of study on the side) that lies ahead!
