On finding campus, classes and confidence

Welcome to First Year Diaries, our student blog series where we look back on the many different experiences of first year at Queen Mary. This entry was written by Lily, a Maths, Finance and Accounting student.

The photos used do not represent the people in the stories.

How old were you when you started your first year at Queen Mary? 18

Had you ever been to university before? No

Arrival Day

Tell us a bit about your life growing up

I grew up in Birmingham and went to an all-girls grammar school which took around one hour to get to on the bus. I grew to LOVE school (especially the bus ride there everyday). I would say I wasn’t the loudest nor quietest, and found making friends and getting involved with school activities quite fun. I wouldn’t say my parents are strict and I got a lot of “freedom” within reason, but I was very excited to become more independent at university. I definitely wasn’t scared to start, but more sad to be leaving home! I did want to either go to university or do a degree apprenticeship, but I ended up going down the university route.

How did it feel when you got to campus for the first time?

I was very excited, packing the car at 8am. I’d visited the university in May and so I was slightly familiar with the surroundings and knew what campus would look like. On the drive I began to feel nervous and quite sad as my sister was at home and I knew I would miss her the most!

Finally we arrived at Queen Mary and I found my room. I was pleasantly surprised to find a ResLife mug and chocolate waiting for me! I then began to feel more excited as I was unpacking my boxes, which didn’t take too long. Then I was able to start decorating. I remember asking my parents to leave because I wanted to decorate my room myself, without their help (in the nicest way)! They left and it was only when I had put all my photos up that I began to feel a little lonely. None of my flatmates had moved in and so I spent the evening with a friend I knew at the university. We ordered pizza and sat on the benches outside the curve and ate our food.

Which hall of residence did you live in?

Beaumont Court

Did you start unpacking as soon as you got to the room?

We began straight away! I couldn’t wait. I made my mum and dad hot drinks and then I got straight onto it. Mainly because I was so excited!

Tell us about meeting your first new flatmate

The first flatmate that moved in ended up being the flatmate I was closest to! We both were brought up in a similar background and quite quickly realised that we got on well. Although it didn’t develop into a big friendship where we would hang out outside of halls, it was a friendly face that I could say hi to (and maybe ask to borrow some eggs every now and then)! She was very friendly and also studied a similar degree to me, so we had lots to talk about.

What did you do in the evening?

I went to the pizza event at The Curve! It was delicious and I remember meeting a few of my closest friends now in the queue.

How were you feeling when you went to sleep that night?

I felt quite lonely as I wasn't used to sleeping in complete silence. The first night I was also a little nervous as I was the only one in my accommodation block and I was wondering when the other flatmates would move in. The day went better than expected, and I knew I just had to give myself time to adjust to this new change. But I was excited overall and couldn’t wait to settle in.

Freshers Week

Describe freshers week at Queen Mary in one word:

BUSY!

What did you get up to?

I did a lot of sightseeing and tried lots of new food. I went to Camden Market and Borough Market. I went to some ResLife events too, and enjoyed the Welcome Fair that the university held. I spent all my money on food and was desperate for Student Finance to drop. I found myself calling home quite often, but then that ended up being less frequent as I was always making plans to go and see new friends.

How did you feel when the first day of classes was looming?

I was really excited for classes to start. I’d met some girls during Welcome Week on the same course as me… we are all best friends now! But I was excited to start learning, as summer had been too long for me and I was ready for a routine.

The First Week of Classes

What was your very first class/lecture like?

Very intimidating! I had never seen a lecture hall before. Because everyone had attended it was packed and very warm.

Did you meet any memorable people?

My friends and I discovered “Green Pepper” in Stepney Green as soon as we began university. We found ourselves going ALL THE TIME! It got to the point when the bossman knew our names and orders. We still go every now and then and say hi!

One Year On…

How did your feelings about your classes change with time?

I would say class got harder and motivation definitely dipped. I found myself going from a very excited first year who couldn’t wait to study to a tired and unmotivated second year, who only studies when exams are round the corner. That being said, I keep my attendance as high as possible and try to never give up.

On the whole, what was your first year at Queen Mary like?

I would say an 8/10.

I wish I had gotten involved with my societies and actually went to the events, as I feel like I could have developed a hobby or two. But other than that I really enjoyed first year and felt happy and safe in halls. I made some great friendships and memories. I wish I had gotten on a little better with my flatmates as I only really spoke to one girl (the same girl I met when I first moved in).

If you had any advice for current or incoming first year students, what would it be?

I would say the best thing to do is to get involved and try new things. You will never get this time back so make the most of it!