Ally Hardy
The first few weeks of university can be a scary time for first
years as they try to pick out a set of long term friends from a sea of strange
faces.
If this sounds a familiar scenario then read on to find out how you
can make life easier for the newbies treading in your footsteps.
When I first arrived at university I felt completely alone. I knew
people in halls and on my course well enough to speak to but we had little in
common. I never counted many of
them as real friends. I found myself passing between different groups on my
course before finally finding people who were like me. In short I had discovered my academic family.
The idea of academic families comes from St Andrew’s University in Scotland. The aim of
academic families is to integrate new students into university life as quickly as
possible by allowing them to meet older and more experienced students. The
scheme ensures that different years and
groups mix and helps bring
the university community closer together.
For first year students it’s all
about mentoring and talking to the welcome reps during your first few weeks at
Staffs. Another great way to make
friends is by joining clubs and societies.
Second years can also help by
talking to new students. If someone
looks lost go and see if you can help, new students may talk to you about a
problem that they wouldn’t tell anyone else.
So everybody, not just you welcome reps, go out there, be friendly,
smile and be as helpful as possible.
The more welcoming and
enthusiastic we are the more likely freshers are to enjoy their time at Staffs
Uni.
Keep reading GKnews to find out
more about this scheme in the coming months.