A time of great change
When you came to Aston it was almost certainly a time of great change. You probably felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness – what would it really be like? Would you cope with the work? What would the people be like? After being here a little time the differences between your expectations and the realities began to become clear – some things may have been better than you expected, some didn’t live up to your hopes and others were just different.
Change can be both challenging and disruptive. Away from familiar surroundings and support, we can find ourselves feeling quite daunted by tasks we would normally have coped with easily. This leaflet aims to help you make the transition as smoothly as possible so that you can make the most of your time at Aston.
Some common feelings
You may have spent quite some time working towards getting to University, but may not have thought very much about what it would be like once you had arrived. It is very common for people to feel things like these:
• A small fish in a large pool; no longer ‘the best’
• That you aren’t as intelligent as others, or that you won’t understand the work or you feel like an ‘imposter’
• Uncertain whether you are here because you want to be here or because someone else (e.g. parents or teachers) wanted it
• Similarly the choice of course or subject may not turn out to be what you expected
• Burdened by the weight of others’ expectation - for you to be doing well or having a wonderful time…
• You may feel homesick and find this more difficult than you anticipated
• Everyone else may seem to be supremely confident making friends and doing fine, while you may be feeling quite the opposite!
Some general strategies
(they may not all apply to you, but some certainly will).
Look after yourself
It takes time to get to know other people and for them to get to know you. This means that it is unlikely that others will really know how you are feeling or what you are thinking. Consequently, you may need to look after yourself. Putting time and energy into arranging your life in ways that make sense to you and are enjoyable, is time well spent.
Know yourself and what you can handle
This is a time when you can experiment and find ways of living that suit you. This can take time, but try not to be pressured by others into doing things you do not want to do; that do not feel right for you; or that you are not yet ready to tackle. Allow yourself to work within what you feel able to do and don’t live a lie, be yourself! Alcohol intake is a good example – whilst it has its advantages when kept within limits, too much definitely causes problems!
Confront difficulties
When everything is new we can waste endless time worrying about things we don’t understand or don’t know. Don’t be afraid to ask. You can save yourself a lot of time and energy by finding out or asking. At the start of the year others will be feeling and doing just the same, so your questions are unlikely to cause any embarrassment. Begin to see these occasions as a challenge rather than as a problem - what can you do to change the situation?
Get/Stay fit
It is much easier to cope with new challenges when we are fit and healthy, have a good diet and adequate sleep. If you have been a keen sports-person, it shouldn’t be difficult to find ways of maintaining this. If not, think about taking advantage of a wide range of opportunities in Aston and Birmingham. There is almost certain to be something which suits you.
Managing pressure
There are times during the term when most people feel pressured. Recognise that this is a common experience and is not just you! ‘Listen’ to your body and feelings and work with them rather than against them. Here are some other ideas:
• Plan ahead to reduce pressure
• Use pressure positively to motivate
• Separate others’ expectations from your own
• Put it all into perspective
• Reward yourself, giving yourself praise for what you have achieved
Maintain some balance in life
Separate out ‘work’ and ‘not work’ times and spaces
It helps to be clear with yourself when you are, and are not working, otherwise you can find yourself thinking of all the fun things you’re not doing while you are trying to work, and also find it hard to enjoy leisure time as you punish yourself for still having outstanding work. If you have paid work in addition to your studies, be sure to plan your free time so that you can study, rest and enjoy yourself. Take time for leisure, physical and social activity and time to relax.
Do work some of the time
It is important to keep up to date with your work as you can get a backlog very quickly and it can then feel very difficult to catch up. Problems tend to escalate so have the courage to tackle them early.
Maintain a balance between time alone and time with others
Friends can be a wonderful support and a great excuse or distraction.
Create a routine/normal pattern for your day/week
Boring as it may sound, having some regular structure to your day/week is likely to help. Depending on your subject and timetable, there can be rather little structure in the student life. ‘Structure hunger’ can be quite debilitating. We each work effectively in different ways and at different times of day, so devise a pattern that works for you and keep this as your normal routine.
If you wonder if Aston is right for you after all…
It is very common for new students to wonder if they have made the right decisions about their choice of university or subject. However, the great majority do find their feet and enjoy their work and time here.
For some though, it may be that this isn’t the right place or subject. If you are seriously wondering about this it is important that you speak to your tutor before you make any final decision. The Careers Service or Counselling Services, may also be able to help you find the direction that is best for you.
When you could use some additional support
There is a wide range of excellent support available in the University. You don’t have to maintain an ‘I’m OK’ image all of the time. If you feel that you need to talk over how you are getting on at University, find out someone to talk to sooner rather than later. Such people might include:
• Other students
• Friends or family
• Tutor or other Departmental Staff
• University Counselling Services (ext: 4711)
• Health Centre Staff (ext: 4406)
• Student Advice Centre (ext: 4848)
• Chaplains (ext: tbc)
• Niteline (Tel: 0121 472 4616)
Further practical support comes in the form of Study Skills workshops. Notices in your department will contain details of these.
The Counselling Services normally runs two workshops each Autumn Term; one deals with increasing your self-confidence and the other helps to get you working again if you have lost motivation or just feel stuck. Dates for these are advertised on our Web-site.
With thanks to the University of Cambridge Counselling Services 1998 who hold the copyright for the substantive text of this leaflet. The information contained in this leaflet is intended to be a guide. It is given in good faith and all reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure accuracy. Aston University shall not be liable for any distress or damage of any kind which is a result of any inaccuracy of the contents of the information in this document.
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E-mail address: counselling@aston.ac.uk
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