Coming Back to Lancaster
Returning to Lancaster as a second or third year can be as daunting as when you started as a fresher’s, its a new experience on its own. Fylde student and VP Campaigns and Communications, Islay has written about what its like to be a returning student withe some tips from living off campus getting more involved.
--
Coming back to Lancaster as a returning student can seem daunting; you’re no longer a fresher, your grades now count towards your degree and the initial shininess of being at university has worn off. I’ve now graduated from my three year course, so have some experience of returning to Lancaster after summer. This is what worked well for me!
Get more involved!
I know everyone says it, and it seems like a daunting thing to do, but get involved! I spent my first year here not filling my free time with things that made me happy – be that societies, sport or trips away and I only socialised with the friends that I had made in halls. I was worried at first that joining a society exec, joining my college JCR and in general having much more of a social life would impact my grades. In reality though, it meant I had a clearer head when I came to study; my grades in my 2nd and 3rd year were higher than 1st year, and overall I was a lot happier as I had something else to focus my energy on than just my course.
There’s loads you can get involved with! Got a hobby? Go along to the Freshers’ Fair during Welcome Week to see what’s on offer here – there’s something for everyone, or if not – there’s the opportunity to set up your own society. Joining a sports team or society is great as instantly you will be immersed in a group of students that have a common interest to you. Nervous about going for one of the main university teams? Why not check out the college leagues where you can play sport more casually. Love your college and want to make a change? Apply for JCR elections towards the end of term one!
Organise yourself
With that being said, the only way that this can happen productively, is if you keep yourself organised and on top of things. I started using Google Calendar in my second year to plan out my weeks, and it was a complete life saver. You can import your iLancaster calendar directly from Moodle and you can colour code your different activities, so from a quick glance you can see what you’ve got going on during your week and where you have gaps to fit in studying, socialising, working or your other commitments. I tried to fill out my days efficiently so that I wouldn’t have to do uni work in the evenings or on Saturdays, which really helped me maintain my work-life balance, whilst staying on top of things.
Living Off Campus
A lot of you will be living off campus for the first time. This is a great opportunity to break out of the campus bubble and experience something new. I was concerned about the buses from town at first, but once you get in to the swing of things, they’re really not bad at all. It doesn’t take long to get to campus and you can use your time on the bus to ease yourself into the day. I really enjoy listening to podcasts and audiobooks on the bus, or if that’s not for you, you’ll quite often bump into a friend on the bus which is great for a catch up.
Experiment in the Kitchen
Hopefully over the past year you’ve become less afraid of stepping foot in the kitchen and you have been trying out some new recipes. Why not get together with your flatmates and arrange a ‘Come Dine With Me’ week, where you can partner up and cook each other your speciality dishes, or you could get together with your friends and cook a meal together once a week. Cooking doesn’t have to be boring and unhealthy – get everyone together and turn it into a social activity!
Take Coursework Seriously From The Start
Make sure to take each piece of work seriously, and get in to the habit of this from the beginning. Trust me, your future self with thank you for it when it comes to exam season and you don’t have to put as much pressure on yourself!
Begin Thinking About Life After Lancaster
Although it may feel like you’ve still got ages left at university, graduation will be here before you know it! There are lots of career fairs on throughout the year to take advantage of (even if you’re just going along for the freebies!!). Some of you may be going off at the end of second year to do a placement, and it’s best to start thinking about this early. Got a lot of spare time? Apply for roles, whether that be paid or voluntary, that will help make your CV stand out. This will of course help you in the future when you’re looking for graduate jobs too.
I hope this has given you some food for thought and that you are looking forward to coming back in October!
Follow Islay on Twitter @LUSUComms and Instagram @lusucomms
