In under a weeks time, i'll be starting a brand new chapter in my life. That both terrifies and excites me. I'm going to be moving about two hours away from my family, friends, and everything I'm familiar with. I'm moving way out of my comfort zone.
I'll be starting my course at Dundee University, studying the General Foundation Course in Art and Design.
For an anxious person like me, this is a huge deal. Dont get me wrong, this is a big step for anyone, but ive always been a worrier, I over think things, and I admit that. So moving away from everything i'm at home with is going to be a massive hurdle, and to be honest, i'm not sure i'm prepared.
I mean, i'm excited, i'm so excited, but I can't help being super nervous about everything. I have all sorts of thoughts going around my head, and it's clouding my brain, it's constantly on my mind, silly things, such as:
"Am I going to get on with my flatmates?"
"Will I make friends?"
"I don't deserve to be in my course."
"I think i'm going to fail at my course"
"What if i'm not creative enough?"
"My shyness is going to hold me back"
"What if I don't get a job?"
"What if nobody likes me?"
"How am I going to cook?"
That's just the tip of the iceberg. I just want to wake up and be settled into university life, with loads of friends, and loving my course, and I just want everything to be perfect.
But that can't happen, obviously.
I'm not really 100% sure where i'm going with this post, I just wanted to write down my feelings I guess.
Most of my problems centre around the social part of things, and this has always been my problem. I find it hard to start a conversation with people, and making eye contact is really difficult for me. There will probably be some of you reading this that are thinking "well, it will be okay once you start drinking!", well, that's another of my problems! I've never been a huge drinker, I don't like not being in control, so that's another hurdle I will need to overcome I guess.
I think that moving away from university has a lot of pros and cons. The good things being that you meet new people, get to be independent, have full reign on everything you do, I get my own room, it's easier to make friends, and there's tonnes more but my mind is pretty blank right now. The downsides are leaving your friends and family, having to fend for yourself, having to trust people you've just met, and more.
I've been reading a lot of student blogs, and articles on the internet, and it's making me feel a little bit more relaxed about everything, so I guess that's a good thing.
This post is turning into a really negative post, but I really didn't set out for it to be like this!
In conclusion, i'm both scared and excited for moving away, which I think is absolutely natural, but i'd love to hear from other people who have moved away for university. How did you enjoy it? Did you find it hard to make friends, did you enjoy freshers week? Let me know your experiences please!
I don't want to let these worries put me off university because at the end of the day i've worked really hard to get into this course, and I do not want to mess it up, as if I don't get into my second year, then i'm not entirely sure what I will do with my life. Lets get the next few weeks out the way first, shall we?
I'm hoping I can look back on this post and think "Oh Erin, you had nothing to worry about, you're loving university life!" but i'm not sure that this will happen. Here's hoping, eh?
Well, that was a bit of a ramble, wasn't it? Sorry it's not my usual style of post, I had to get all that off my chest! If you've read all the way to here, thank you so much.
See you soon!
If you wish to contact me, my email is erindocherty3@gmail.com
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