Home seemed far away
Before coming to Durham, the longest I’d ever spent away from home was about a week and the transition from home life to university was quite a nerve-wracking change. As we arrived at Collingwood, I was excited for what lay ahead, but waving goodbye to my parents, I felt this overwhelming sense of loneliness.
With my family five hours away and knowing no one in the city, I was scared for the year ahead, whether I’d enjoy my degree or make friends or if I’d even manage to settle in this brand-new place. Two years later I am very pleased to say that these fears were just fears, and since that cold, uncertain day in September 2022 I have made some of my closest friends for life and have fallen in love with the city I now call home.
Everyone is in the same boat
Looking back, I realise that I was not alone in how I felt. That across Durham hundreds of other people were in the exact same boat as me, away from home for the first time and uncertain what their time at university would be. Whilst I wish I could tell my younger self that it will all work out: those fears of change, of being away from home and of feeling alone are something so many people at Durham will experience in their first weeks here. And those feelings, whilst so common, are not something anyone has to deal with alone.
College has got you
During this period, it was my college that acted as an incredible network of support. From the Freshers Week representatives (Frep) that moved me into my room to the people living on my floor, my college acted as this giant support system that let no student feel left behind. As freshers week came to an end I had already made so many friends. By the end of term one, I had met the people I now call my housemates.
Academics have got you
My academic fears were similarly relieved as from my first lecture, we were told about the incredible department-based support available to us. We were allocated an Academic Adviser, who acts as my first point of call to this day on any degree or future career-related concerns.
Support is always there
Moving to university can be a scary and uncertain time, as it was for me, but you are never alone at Durham. From your college to your academic department to the central university itself, support is always available no matter how big or small your concerns seem to be. My last two years at Durham have been incredible, but they have come with their ups and downs, during which I rely on my support systems, my friends and housemates, my college and department.
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