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The Post Freshers Fear: Is there really such thing as no place like home?

The screaming neon ‘FRESHERS 2018’ wristbands have been cut off and student Snapchat stories from across the UK are all looking a bit lacklustre…

Freshers week 2018 is officially over and the reality of budgeting and bed sheet washing has begun. I call this, ‘The Post Freshers Fear.’

Surviving on nothing but pot noodles and sheer adrenaline thus far, we are beginning to swap partying for studying and many first-year students’ possibly will face a tumultuous first term as increased anxiety and worry ramp up about the daunting next nine months.

Moving to university whether it be down the road or up the country, is undoubtedly no easy task and sometimes even the strongest of people can experience symptoms of homesickness, anxiousness and general doubtfulness of whether going to university really is the right choice for you after all.

As for me, 354.9 miles separate me from my home across the Irish Sea in Belfast, Northern Ireland making it quite the journey if I want to nip home for mum’s classic Sunday roast or to have my mound of clothes lovingly washed! But hey, this is what I signed up for right?

I believe Post Freshers Fear is a very real and very serious emotion not to be taken lightly: after all our excitement and exhilaration which has been expelled during the past two weeks, suddenly we can come to the almost terrifying realisation that we are beginning our new lives in a sometimes unfamiliar city having to academically learn and live like adults.

“University is the best years of your life!” they say. “Join every society and go out every night!” they say…. However, as many students forget, all these phrases are wholly subjective, and some can become obsessed with fulfilling University ‘expectations’ created by media and hearsay. I believe that yes, it is important to encourage students to make the most of university life in all aspects, but also equally it is vital to remind them that it is perfectly normal not to feel on top of the world at University… Just yet.

As students of Nottingham Trent University, fear not! We are all in good hands regarding needing support whether it be financially (budgeting student loans), academically (essay writing) or personally (mental health support). Just a quick whizz on the university’s website and you are met with the recurring and similarly reassuring buzz words; “committed”, “help”, “individual” and “tailored”.

As I sit here from my ‘home’ writing this, you can already see that ‘home’ is what you make of it: it is where you feel comfortable lying in on a Sunday Morning or having your 10th weekly breakdown. Sooner or later, I am sure this feeling will pass and the unfamiliar will become your new familiar but for the meantime, I’ll leave you with this: Post Freshers Fear does most certainly exist, but only as much as you want it to.

By Chloe Keys

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