Elon's Story

Finding my feet in first year

Doing my university studies in the UK was a goal I had set for myself right from the early days of high

school. Having enjoyed my high school and excelled, I was so thrilled when I got the opportunity to

study here at York. My passion and work ethic had sustained me through some disadvantaging

circumstances in high school. Working through the disadvantages with firmness of intend, I

remained a top student. With this background I was more than confident that I was ready for

university and would be able to deal with challenges of any kind in pursuing my academic and career

dreams.

The journey from high school to university was a transition I had never imagined could be so

challenging as I found it to be; and the complications caused by Covid made things worse. First, I

couldn’t make it to campus on time mainly due to visa processing delays. So, I started the first few

weeks of the semester back in my country online and this impacted me from angles I had not

anticipated. The online learning experience was pleasant as the lectures were accompanied by

supporting worksheets, other online resources, and guidelines. Other sessions, we worked online in

groups, and this helped in understanding concepts from the perspectives of others and more

significantly, in time management as we were accountable to each other.

When I eventually arrived on campus, my coming late meant I isolated for fourteen days on arrival

after all my flatmates had already started interacting as they had all completed their isolation

period. My flatmates and the second-third year mentor (STYCS) were very helpful in assisting me

with settling in. Initially, I progressed well with my studies as I just focused on catching up on

academics. I tried to enjoy socials with my flatmates but somehow it was not easy for me to break

into the friendship circles that had already formed before my arrival. Also, not meeting physically for

class sessions limited those I could interact with. Finding it difficult to interact led me to withdraw to

my room and I stayed there keeping entirely to myself. I kept in touch with my family but did not

share my struggles. Eventually, I resorted to Netflix and video games for entertainment. This didn’t

cause problems at first as I managed my workload well. However, it began to spoil my time

management, my eating habits and sleeping pattern. I started underestimating my workload while

passing time with destructive amounts of gaming. Gradually, I started falling behind with my lectures

until the work was too much to cover and I started losing hope. Eventually, I ended up in a position

where my studies halted and I could not take my assessments or progress any further without major

help. This became a breaking point for me, but I am thankful that I was eventually offered help to

get me back on track.

Looking back at all that happened; I think I should have put more effort to interact socially in those

limited circumstances. This might have helped me stay refreshed and break long hours on the

computer screen. With help, I also realised that avoiding studying in my flat as much as possible

could have saved me earlier from the distractions of other things I could easily access on my laptop.

Using the computer lab as a dedicated study area helped me begin to regain my focus and get work

done. Getting help from the College, the Department and Open Door is what rescued my situation

and is helping me get back on track with my studies and social life. My only regret is not having

asked for help earlier.

Among the things I wish I had known well enough and early enough is how very different university

education and life is from high school. Coming from high school where everything was highly

monitored and controlled, I didn’t realise how much I wasn’t fully prepared for university where

education is self-taught and life is all self-managed. The transition is massive in other dimensions as

well, including all issues like beginning to take care of one’s health routines, things that were not in

my hands before. At university you are in charge of your time, and you decide what to do with it;

doing your work in time will save you from avoidable and stressful workloads and situations.

If you are still at the stage of deciding which course to take, I advise that before making course

choice it’s of great importance to ensure that you go through course descriptions in depth. Reading

and understanding the list of modules you will take and what material you will cover is so valuable.

This will help you make the appropriate course choice before you start. I went through my first year

struggling and wondering if I had chosen the right course. I definitely went through the course

description but not well enough as later I realised that I preferred Course X rather than Course Y.

I am grateful for all the help I am receiving to get back on track. I must say that there are a lot of

diverse things on offer here. It is very important not to underestimate the value of the numerous

opportunities available or shy away from things you might not be used to. Try out different things,

from socials, career events etc, as well as making the most of one on one appointment with

lecturers.