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Last week, I officially started University. The week before was our induction where lots of different lecturers spoke to us about the course and provided us with lots of information which will be vital for our four years here at the University of the West of Scotland .  The most helpful source of information, in my opinion, came from the BA2 students. They provided us with the most honest perspective on what the year will entail and how best to prepare for it. They also provided us with some more practical info about things like car sharing, etc. 

However, last week was when the real work started. This was when the lectures began and everything started to feel very real. I had imagined for months what it would be like and how I would feel during it but to be completely honest, it felt like being back at school. We were all sitting in groups round tables copying notes from a powerpoint. This felt so familiar and comfortable that it made the transition to University feel easier and not as daunting.  

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Throughout my first week of university i have had many mixed emotions. To start off i have had a great laugh and actually looked forward to attending which is a great start and makes me feel very motivated knowing i can come in and enjoy university. The experience so far has been very surreal as it is very different from school. One of the things i love about university so far is that it includes a lot of practical work for example in Angela’s workshop for situated communication we learned the various types of communication from doing them ourselves which makes the theory work to follow much easier as we can relate with our own experiences. Through this work shop i also learned my own little habits i have whilst communicating such as fidgeting as i listen to others which i now know to work on.

I am also really enjoying Mathematics and Literacy which i didn’t expect as at first i was really nervous as i didn’t enjoy mathematics during my time in school. For example getting the opportunity to do pre study before lectures is really good as i feel prepared and more aware of what i am learning in the lecture. These lectures have also reminded me how we often forget the simple steps in life that we began with and proved to me how much we have to break down information to the very root in order for primary children to learn and understand.

Overall this week at university i have realised how much i actually have grown as a person and how much the education system has changed even in the slightest since i attended primary school. I have been able to identify challenges i might face further down the line such as explaining number systems in mathematics as this is not my strong point and for situated communication my stance as i often stand cross legged and fidget so i can now see where i need to improve for the future weeks to come to set me up for my placement and the rest of university.

The lead up to starting university was daunting to say the least. The fear of not knowing what was ahead was the worst part, would I make new friends? Would I be able to navigate my way around the university? Would I have made the right choice of modules?, I can happily say every single one of these questions have been answered within my first two weeks on campus.

The induction week was a great opportunity to not only gain an insight into the modules i would soon be undertaking but also to form friendships with the people i will be spending the next 4 years alongside. The induction week also allowed me to get to know the lecturers i would be engaging with during my time at university.

I am looking forward to my next four years at university, to get to know my peers better and to grow as a professional.

The experience of University so far within the first 2 weeks has been an eye opening experience. I have met many new friends and different variety of people that i have been able to communicate freely with. I have also came across many challenges that i feel i will struggle but i know that there is the help out there to overcome with these challenges. For example, Spanish was a subject i was worried about as it was completely new to me and i had no understanding of the language at all. I knew when picking the subject it would be a challenge that i put myself up for but now after having a lesson in Spanish, i have realised that most of us within the class are on the same page and that made me feel more comfortable and looking forward to the next lesson.