What if I don’t get on-campus accommodation?

Didn’t get on campus accommodation in your first year of Uni? Don’t panic, I spent my first year off campus and if anything it made my experience “richer”.

I’m not going to lie, it takes more effort integrating with everyone else at the university as first year students on campus have the advantage of being in the same boat. In my first week I was assigned an on campus flat to “hang out” with and a second/third year contact (STYC) who continuously encouraged me to take advantage of that. Now whilst it might seem an effort coming on to campus for all the events offered during freshers week/fortnight I would suggest you attend as many as you can. It’s not only a chance to get to know the people in your assigned flat better, but it also gives you the opportunity to meet other like minded people in different degree disciplines.

Into sports? Look at every opportunity you get to do something you enjoy as an opportunity to meet people. York has a sophisticated sports programme which offers most sporting activities on a beginner to competitive level. Simply get involved, university is a difficult transition enough so fill your time up doing things you enjoy and find interesting.

Joining societies will probably be a big part of your university
Lifestyle, I was extremely eager to join everything which looked interesting and to be honest I dropped out of half of them by the end of the first term. Degree work can be quite time consuming and I would suggest join between 2-4 societies which you can commit yourself to and enjoy. Don’t just join the societies for something that looks flash on your CV – make sure you go to the socials and meet more people…trust me when I say you can never have too many acquaintances, the people you meet in your uni years could turn out to be great contacts to have in your career path.

On the subject of socials, if your department hosts socials or events try and get there. It’s a great way to network and again make new acquaintances/friends. To be honest if any opportunity arises where you can meet like minded people your first year will go really fast.

Living off campus has it’s advantages. In my case it was meeting people in different degrees of different years from different walks of life, as a social butterfly I pretty much forced myself to get to know people and enjoy the experience. I didn’t have the privilege of studying with my friends from college or living with other first year students, but I got on really well with my housemates. It’s all about being prepared to venture out of your comfort zone and explore what your first year of Uni has to offer…remember, you’re only a fresher once so make the most of it!