Adjusting to Uni Life in London

Entering my third and final year at Escape Studios, life at university is predictable and easy-going, and I feel comfortable in the London environment – but it wasn’t always this way! Here’s what my experience has been like adjusting to life at Escape Studios and some tips that should hopefully help you with your journey. 

My Life Before University  

 My life before university could not be more opposite to the life I have now. This is because I grew up in the countryside in Essex, basically on a farm – about as different to London as you can get! The reason I am telling you this is because I know from my own experience how nervous I was about the changes that London would bring. What I quickly came to realise was, that when we are put in a new environment we very quickly adapt. Before I came to London, I had no idea how to even cook a proper meal! Now, I am a confident cook who actively enjoys being in the kitchen and trying out new recipes. My advice to you is this – change is scary, but it is not nearly as hard to adapt to as you might think.  

Moving into Student accommodation and getting to know my flatmates 

 Part of what helped me adapt to my new environment was the new flatmates I met after moving into student accommodation. They were all second-year students, and whilst initially, this was a bit daunting as the only first year in the flat, I quickly befriended them and ended up learning a huge amount from them – having flatmates that were more settled and confident in this environment helped me do the same. If you do not have any second-year flatmates though, do not fret! I knew plenty of first years staying in the same accommodation as me, and it was really comforting knowing that all of them were in the same boat as me. You might meet some people who try and act overly confident – but I promise you, they are just as clueless as you are! Some of you may be worried about making new friends, but in my experience, you don’t have to actively try too hard to make friends! If you show up to fresher's events, hang out in your kitchen to get to know your flatmates, and even start up a conversation with the person sitting next to you in class, I promise within a week you will have formed a whole new friend group – pretty much everyone is as eager as you are to make friends!  

Learning as I went along 

The most important piece of advice I can give you is this – do not expect to know everything straight away. As mentioned previously, I knew absolutely nothing about living life away from home before I came to university, and now I have new friends, great experiences and life skills that I never would have had if I’d decided not to come to Escape Studios. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the experience you get outside of university as much as you enjoy the experience in it! I promise you will adapt to your new environment quicker than you think. 

Good luck First years!