By Lauren, fourth-year Politics student from Scotland

When I came to university in 2021, I had no idea what to expect. While I tried my best to prepare as much as possible for starting this new chapter of my life in Edinburgh, there are so many things I wish I could tell my first-year self about what to expect and how to prepare for university.

Don’t burn yourself out by the end of Welcome Week

This tip has become my motto for all new students. If I could go back to first year me, I would tell her that you don’t need to go to 30 events during Welcome Week – you will burn out! A lot of societies run multiple events during Welcome Week to try to catch as many students as possible, but that does not mean you need to attend them all. Extra tip: don’t book your driving test during Welcome Week, either!

Instead of attending lots of events, I recommend going to the Activities Fair, which gives you a taste of a club or society if you don’t have time to attend their longer events. Prioritise yourself rather than burn yourself out before the start of the academic year.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to make life-long friendships during Welcome Week

Moving to a new city means you’ll meet so many people during your first week. While this is amazing, one thing I wish I knew was that I don’t need to find my lifelong friends immediately.

Looking back now, although I still speak to a few people I met during Welcome Week, most of my best friends I made in my second and third years. I found that it was a lot easier to make friends through chatting with people before and after lectures and tutorials, and through different societies, rather than trying to befriend everyone within a thirty-mile radius. Friendships take time to develop, so why not read my top tips for making friends at university.

Don’t feel pressured to drink if you don’t want to!

Throughout my first year at university, I didn’t drink, and I was so anxious about peer pressure and constant questioning. While I did get a couple of questions about it, no one really cares if you drink or not, and if they do then that’s their problem! There are so many fun activities to do in Edinburgh that don’t include drinking, both day and night. In my first year, I would often go out on pub crawls, nights out, and other evening activities and not drink, and I had just as much fun as my friends who were drinking! Likewise, I would also go to a lot of non-drink-centred events, such as guest lectures and talks, picnics, and – my personal favourite – Christmas cookie decorating and hot chocolate socials!

Imposter syndrome is rubbish, but normal

Coming to the University of Edinburgh is an amazing experience, but as it’s filled with incredibly smart people doing amazing things, it can be so easy to feel lost or not worthy of being here. Whilst it can be easy to get caught up in a cycle of constant comparison, try to ground yourself and remember that you’re here for a reason and doing an amazing job. Try to remember that you’re here to learn, develop your knowledge and grow as a person – you don’t need to know everything as soon as you arrive in Edinburgh.

Also, whilst you may have one very vocal person in your tutorial or lecture who knows everything, these people often feel the same way as you, so are trying to ‘prove themselves’ in their own way. Think of it this way – different people have different interests. Just because one person knows a lot about the intricacies of the first World War, that doesn’t mean that they know everything there is to know about the history of the world!

The University community has a lot of support services

I really struggled with my mental health in my first semester of university, and if I could go back in time, I would tell first-year Lauren that it does get better, and that support is out there. To support you within the University you will find:

• Disability and Learning Support Service
• Student Counselling Service information
• Chaplaincy Listening Service
• Student Advisers
• Student Wellbeing services and support

You can also speak to your GP, who can give more specialised support such as therapy and medication, and there are also so many support groups in and around Edinburgh, including iThrive Edinburgh with is an online space for mental health and wellbeing information in Edinburgh. Reaching out is always the worst part but I wish I had known that it would be so worth it!

Access iThrive Edinburgh

What you see on social media is not true

One of my favourite examples of this is one of my friends from back home. They would post hundreds of amazing photos of their nights out, dinners with flatmates and friends, and overall, all the highlights of their time at university. I remember feeling so sad because my time at university didn’t look anything like theirs, and I was so jealous!

This was until I looked at their private story, where I saw behind the social media facade – the hangover the next morning, the mess left behind in the kitchen that had caused mice to appear, and their moments of feeling stressed and down about their university coursework. When I saw this, I realised that just because someone posts their best bits online, that does not mean they are living their best life! Think – when I have a bad moment, do I share it on Instagram? No!

Enjoy your time at university!

While studying and getting good grades are important, I wish I knew that having an enjoyable time is equally important. Make sure you seize opportunities that interest you, take time to chat and make friends, and have fun! It’s easy to get caught up in things and forget that university is only a small part of your life where you can experience so much in such a short period of time.