My first year at University experience | University College London (freshers tips & advice)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Salmad, a first-year Philosophy, Politics, and Economics student at University College London, shares his experiences from his first year at university. He discusses Freshers' Week, making friends, living in central London, the academic challenges of his course, and the benefits of participating in societies. He emphasizes the importance of budgeting and the value of living on campus for social life. Salmad concludes with advice to approach university with an open mind and to make the most of the opportunities available.
Takeaways
- π Salmad is a first-year student at University College London studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).
- π Fresher's week at university is focused on socializing but may not be for everyone, especially those who don't drink or go clubbing.
- π€ Making friends at university is easier than many think, as most students are in the same boat and looking to make connections.
- π« Salmad found his PPE course challenging but has started to enjoy certain aspects, particularly politics.
- π° Living in central London, especially as a student, can be very expensive, but offers a unique and exciting environment.
- ποΈ Living out of home during university provides a richer social experience and a sense of independence.
- π A typical week at university may have few contact hours but requires a lot of independent study and self-motivation.
- π« Joining societies is a great way to meet people with similar interests and enhance the university experience.
- πΌ Having a part-time job can help manage the high cost of living in London and provide additional funds for students.
- π Salmad advises not to have too many expectations going into university, as everyone's experience will be different.
- π The first term at university is often the easiest for making friends and settling in, so it's important to make the most of it.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is Salmad's first-year experience studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at University College London (UCL).
Why did Salmad choose to make this video?
-Salmad chose to make this video because they had just finished their first year at university and felt it was the perfect time to share their experiences and give tips to future students.
How does Salmad describe their fresher's week experience?
-Salmad describes their fresher's week as unimportant for them personally because they don't go clubbing or drink alcohol, which are common activities during fresher's week. Instead, they recommend attending society events to meet new people.
Did Salmad struggle to make friends at university?
-No, Salmad did not struggle to make friends. They emphasize the importance of being social and proactive in approaching people, as most students are also looking to make friends.
What advice does Salmad give for making friends at university?
-Salmad advises being proactive in social situations, attending society events to meet people with similar interests, and understanding that most students are also looking to make friends.
How does Salmad feel about their PPE course at UCL?
-Salmad finds the PPE course difficult but is beginning to enjoy certain parts, especially politics. They are looking forward to having more choice in selecting modules in the second year.
What is Salmad's opinion on living in central London as a student?
-Salmad thinks living in central London is amazing despite being expensive. They enjoy the vibrant city life and believe it enhances the university experience.
What were Salmad's initial impressions of UCL during the first term?
-Salmad's initial impressions of UCL during the first term were very positive. They found it to be the best part of their university experience because everyone was new and eager to make friends, and the academic workload was lighter.
Would Salmad recommend living out to other students?
-Yes, Salmad would recommend living out to other students if they can afford it and are considering it. They believe it greatly enhances the social aspect of the university experience.
What is a typical week like for a first-year PPE student at UCL according to Salmad?
-A typical week for a first-year PPE student at UCL involves a mix of in-person and online lessons with relatively few contact hours, but a lot of independent reading and work. Salmad also mentions having time for a part-time job and involvement in societies.
Is university in London expensive according to Salmad?
-Yes, university in London is expensive. Salmad notes that accommodation, food, and other living expenses are significantly higher in London compared to other parts of the UK. They recommend budgeting and possibly getting a part-time job to manage finances.
What final piece of advice does Salmad give to prospective university students?
-Salmad advises prospective university students not to have too many specific expectations and to approach university with an open mind. They emphasize that everyone's university experience is unique and that it is important to make the most of it by being proactive and engaged.
Outlines
π Introduction and Video Purpose
Salmad introduces herself as a first-year student at University College London, studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. She plans to share her first-year experience, including tips and expectations, through a Q&A format. She encourages viewers to follow her on Instagram, where she initially gathered questions for the video.
π Freshers Week Experience
Salmad explains her perspective on Freshers Week, noting that it wasn't important to her due to her preference for socializing without clubbing or drinking. She provides a brief overview of what Freshers Week entails and suggests attending society events for those who don't enjoy clubbing. She emphasizes the importance of being proactive in making friends during this period.
π€ Making Friends at University
Salmad discusses the ease of making friends at university, attributing it to her social nature and the willingness of other students to connect. She advises new students to be outgoing and proactive in approaching others, as most are in the same situation of wanting to make friends. She highlights the role of society events in meeting people with similar interests.
π Course Experience: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Salmad shares her thoughts on her course, admitting that it is challenging but offers valuable career opportunities. She particularly enjoys the politics modules due to their relevance and novelty. She looks forward to the second year, where she can choose modules that align more with her interests.
π Living in Central London
Salmad describes living in central London as expensive but highly rewarding. She loves the vibrant city life and the daily experiences it offers. She suggests that those who can afford it should consider universities in central London for a more exciting university experience.
π First Term at UCL
Salmad recounts her first term at UCL as the best part of her university experience, highlighting the ease of making friends and the relaxed academic workload. She advises new students to make the most of their first term, as subsequent terms may become more academically demanding and socially settled.
π Benefits of Living Out
Salmad strongly recommends living out during university for a richer social experience and greater involvement in university activities. She acknowledges the financial burden but believes the benefits of independence, social life, and proximity to university events outweigh the costs.
π Typical Week at UCL
Salmad outlines a typical week at UCL, noting the mix of online and in-person sessions and the relatively low number of contact hours in the first year. She emphasizes the importance of self-directed study and suggests using free time for part-time jobs or society involvement.
π° Managing Finances in London
Salmad addresses the high cost of living in London, particularly in terms of accommodation and food. She advises budgeting and having a clear understanding of one's finances to manage expenses effectively. She also recommends getting a part-time job to supplement income.
π’ Final Advice and Conclusion
Salmad concludes the video by advising viewers to have an open mind and minimal expectations to avoid disappointment. She stresses that university experiences are subjective and encourages students to actively shape their own experiences. She invites viewers to comment with any further questions and promises more content on her YouTube channel.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘First Year Experience
π‘Freshers' Week
π‘Making Friends
π‘Society Events
π‘Living in Central London
π‘Part-Time Job
π‘Academic Challenges
π‘Budgeting
π‘University Expectations
π‘Social Life vs. Commuting
Highlights
Introduction: First year student at UCL studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Purpose: Sharing first-year experiences and answering audience questions.
Freshers' Week: Focused on clubbing and socializing, not essential for everyone.
Making Friends: Importance of being proactive and attending society events.
Course Experience: Enjoying politics more, excited for second-year module choices.
Living in London: Expensive but enriching, enhances university experience.
First Term: Best for socializing and settling in, workload increases later.
Living Out: Recommended for social life and involvement in university activities.
Typical Week: Few contact hours, lots of self-study and flexibility.
Costs: High living expenses, importance of budgeting and part-time work.
Part-Time Work: Opportunities available, beneficial for managing expenses.
University Expectations: Keep an open mind, experiences vary greatly.
Social Life: Essential part of the experience, encourages forming close bonds.
Advice: Engage actively in university life to maximize benefits.
Conclusion: University is subjective; make the most of opportunities.
Transcripts
hi everyone and welcome back to my
youtube channel now for those of you
guys who don't know me my name is salmad
and i am currently a first year student
studying philosophy politics and
economics at university college london
now
i had just had finished my first year of
university um so i think that was kind
of pretty much the perfect time to make
this type of video and this video is
going to be
basically just me talking about my first
year experience so as many of you guys
know if you watch some of my previous
videos i did live out in london so i
kind of had that
you know the full-on full-on first-year
university experience of living now
having fun all of that type of stuff i'm
pretty much just gonna talk about my
experiences give a couple of tips on
what to do uh and what to kind of expect
at university i guess this video is
gonna be in the form of a q a you guys i
mean you guys should be following me on
instagram so it will be up on the screen
somewhere make sure you follow me on
instagram uh because on there uh i think
about a month ago i think it's been a
while about a month or so ago i put up a
questionnaire just asking what people
want to know about university and i have
loads of loads of responses so i've kind
of just filtered out the ones that i
like or the ones that i feel like i'll
give
the best response with um and yeah those
are the questions i'm gonna be answering
so without further ado let's get into it
so the first question that i got asked
or the first one that i
thought was probably best to answer was
how was fresher's week this is something
that for a lot of university students
i'm talking about the majority here is
quite important for me uh freshers week
wasn't that important and that's because
i don't go clubbing and i don't drink
and i think i feel like that's
mostly what freshers week is all about
pretty much just going out and
socializing and stuff now i am a very
very social person so i do like going
out and meeting people but unfortunately
freshers week only really accommodates
for people who go clubbing etc so i
didn't really make the most of it um and
i'm happy i didn't but you know for some
of my people that i know at university
like my flatmates they kind of love the
experience like freshers week they were
all about it essentially for anyone who
doesn't know what fresh the week is it's
just a week of university before
university actually starts where
everyone's moved into their
accommodations and everyone just
organizes like parties or get-togethers
and at different clubs or different
apartments or different accommodations
and people meet up and they socialize
now i didn't really go to any of those
but if you don't go into any of those
then definitely look out for society
events so some of the societies although
you probably won't know a lot about them
yet and there's a lot of societies at
universities who do have events within
freshers week like icebreaker event just
so you can get to know to people and i
think that's a really really good
starting point for you know if you're a
bit anxious and you don't think you're
going to make a lot of um good friends
but yeah that's pretty much my answer to
the first question and it actually
brings me quite nicely to the second
question which is did you struggle to
make friends now i think a lot of people
have this
misconception with the university that
it's
hard to make friends i feel like a lot
of it does come down to who you are as a
person now for me i feel like i'm quite
a social person so i feel like i could
you know i just have the confidence to
approach people and just ask them but i
think one thing like one piece of advice
that i got one piece of advice that i
definitely want to give to other people
is that at university you just literally
have to go out and be a bank and speak
to people because
what you need to understand is everyone
who's going to university everyone who's
living in these accommodations 89 of
them are on their own they don't have
friends living with them so they're
going out to try to do the same thing
make friends so
when you're going up to people and
asking them you know how are you and
you're asking these questions about you
know just getting to know them they're
not going to find that weird or awkward
because they know that that's exactly
why they're there so i feel like i just
kind of had that mentality to it i just
thought okay even if i am
being a beg it's gonna work out for me
anyway because these people are also
gonna do the same thing and that's
exactly what happened i would just
approach people and speak to them and
people would approach me and speak to me
so i feel like if you have that
mentality where you're just going out
and speaking to people you will not have
an issue making friends i feel like if
you keep yourself in this box that are
i'm not going to make friends you're
probably going to restrict yourself and
then that's where you're going to end up
probably not having the best university
experience because i think my friends
made up like 80 of it so yeah um to
answer your question did i struggle to
make friends no and that's probably my
tips as to why another thing i do want
to say i do want to stress is society
events and i'm going to keep saying that
in this video but please make sure that
you're making the most of societies
because that's the best way to find
people that have the same interests as
you so if you like cricket go to qriket
society you ucl like i'm very very
grateful because they have so many
different societies and so many
different people and it's such a big
university if you do go to smaller
university and you maybe don't have the
same
access to the same societies
if you can go out and make one because
there's going to be people who will have
the same interests as you so that's just
my advice for in terms of making friends
okay so question three um how are you
finding your course okay so this is a
question i get asked quite a lot so just
in case i didn't mention the course that
i do is philosophy politics and
economics so also known as ppd now one
of the reasons why i picked this course
wasn't really because i have a really
you know really really interesting
philosophy of politics or economics is
mainly because of the scope in terms of
careers and stuff that you know it gives
me access to and the doors that this
degree will open for me that's mainly
the reason why i kind of picked this
degree so in terms of how i'm finding it
it is difficult um i'm not going to lie
it is difficult there's a lot of work to
do but there have been parts of it that
i i'm starting to like starting to grow
for example politics i really like
politics
compared to the other two disciplines
just because there's a lot of modules in
politics that are very very new and very
recent i think i'm more excited for
second year because in the second year
of most universities they give you a bit
more room to kind of pick your own
modules so when i pick my own modules i
can pick them more in you know areas
that i'm interested in and i feel like
i'll start to maybe like my degree a bit
more but it's okay it's not too bad my
fourth question which is and this one i
got quite asked quite a lot uh is what
is it like living in central london to
answer your question in one word i would
say expensive it's very very expensive
but i think i'm gonna leave finances
aside because i think everyone's aware
of that i think living in central london
is
probably one of the greatest things
about ucl because it's amazing like
honestly even just waking up every
single day walking to university taking
scooters or whatever it's just such a
good experience just to see the city
around you and
it just kind of like coming from luton
like where i am right now where i grew
up it's just a completely different
environment and there's so much to do
and i feel like in terms of the
university experience as well it adds to
it so much more because there's always
people around you there's always
something to do there's always something
exciting going on and i feel like that's
something that central london has to
offer you so i would say it's amazing
honestly my favorite thing
i would say if you are local to london
or you are thinking of going to
university in london then i would
definitely definitely if you can
obviously afford to i would say do look
into one of the uni's that are in
central london just because i think they
make the experience just a bit more
exciting but that's my take on it anyway
i have friends who don't live in central
london they live in east london and they
go to universities like you know some of
them go to like king's college and they
have accommodations east london but they
love it there is also wherever you are
depending on what's around you you're
going to have fun because london itself
as a city is great so it's not just
central london the whole city is amazing
you're definitely a new experience i've
been to other cities in the uk but i
think london is just something special
about it
i'm on my fifth question now so the
fifth question of the video is how was
your first time at ucl the first time at
ucl was probably the best time in my
experience the reason i would say that
is because i think the first term like
everyone's really really new to the
university everyone's pretty much in the
same boat so in terms of like the social
aspect everyone's kind of
coming into university like it's the
easiest part to make friends with
even in terms of the course like you're
just getting started
with everything so everything's really
really slow and nothing really feels
heavy you don't have huge exams around
the corner or essays due
or lots of coursework so i feel like
it's kind of like the best time and it's
more focused on letting you settle into
university and that's the best part
about it there's one thing about uni
that i definitely notice i don't know if
this is going to be the same going to
second year is that
you should really really make use of
your first term at ucl or at any uni and
the reason being is because in second
term i feel like a lot of people start
to kind of settle and they've made their
friends so what i noticed with my
friendship groups is a lot of my friends
didn't really come into university in
the second term because like in the
first time you really made friends and
they when they whenever they were coming
like first times when everyone's coming
into university is so active so i feel
like make the most of your first time
definitely the second term isn't as
exciting and obviously there's a lot
more coursework and exams and stuff to
you so
yes first time is fun the whole year is
good but first time definitely better my
sixth question is would you recommend
giving out to other people
right my
answer for this is quite simple i would
say yes definitely i would say living
out is probably one of the best
decisions i made in terms of my
university experience and i'll give you
one of the reasons but i do want to say
that there's a lot of factors that come
into it firstly living out is not cheap
at all it's very very expensive and it
is difficult so i would only really
really recommend it if factors like that
are
considered but if you can afford it and
you like
you don't live too far maybe or you
you've been thinking of living out and
something you're really considering i
would say definitely definitely go ahead
and take this step because for me it
lived up to the experience even i mean
for most people social life let's start
with that
amazing i mean i can compare my social
life at university with my friends who
commuted to the same university and i
could say that i definitely had a much
better experience just because of my
exposure to university when you're
living out like the friends you make are
essentially your family because that's
all you're gonna be seeing every single
day so you value them a lot more and you
value your social time a lot more and i
feel like that just has something great
about it because
you just i don't know you just enjoy
yourself more um in terms of societies
as well you have the time to get more
actively involved you can stay to the
university to very very late and you can
get involved in all of these different
events and and and that's why it was
great now in terms of the money side of
it as well for me i did have a part-time
job so obviously from that i could
you know get some funds and i can kind
of help myself it's definitely an
experience and i feel like for me i made
the right decision of doing it in my
first year because i feel like that's
the time you definitely need the most
exposure to the university because you
want to make those friends and then kind
of go with it you don't want to be a
third year with no friends like you get
me there there is parts where it is
quite lonely and
you know what
to be fair i would say that i
experienced that even when i was at home
like even when i did come home and stay
home for a bit i still experience
loneliness at some points so that's not
really that different of course you are
living out in a big ce on your own and
there's a lot of thing that comes with
that but i feel like if you if you're
responsible and you're mature like you
just get past that and you'll be okay i
was and i couldn't even cook so yes i
have another question what is a typical
week like at ucl and you have to bear in
mind that this year was like it was
quite new because
the past couple of years there was
covered this year there wasn't really
coping as much but there was still a lot
of precautions in place so the
timetables were a bit different there
was a mixture of in person face-to-face
teaching and there was lots of online
lessons as well so if you're talking
about a rough week of university i
didn't have a lot of contact hours like
monday and tuesday for example i just
had one online or in-person session in
the morning 9-10 a.m or 10-11 a.m and
then pretty much the rest of day was
free i think that is kind of the general
just with first year at most
universities you don't have a lot of
contact hours but to make up for that
there is a lot a lot a lot of reading
and work you have to do yourself so
there is that part to it as well so
although you're not going into lessons a
lot you do have a lot of work to do and
then again you do have a lot of days
free so for example if you are looking
for a part-time job like i did that's
definitely something you could consider
and if you do want to get involved in
societies this year is like the best
year i don't know what time tables are
like going into second year but i'm
gonna find out i'm gonna see you soon
but i can imagine it's gonna be a lot
more you know hours
than a first year student
the next question i have is is
university in london expensive so i've
already touched on this quite a bit um
but the answer is most definitely yes
first of all you we can separate out
into different different things um
accommodation accommodation itself is
almost double it is
compared to universities in around the
country so expensive that's because you
are living in central london and
obviously with that comes stuff like
food prices food prices is a lot more
for your groceries you're paying a lot
more because london
is a bit like that it's like the capital
city and any country you go to is
usually a lot more expensive than the
other cities and that's the same thing
with london so one piece of advice i
would definitely give is to
have some sort of budget or at least
have control or an understanding of your
finances so don't go into it just
thinking okay i have a certain amount of
overdraft and i'm just going to spend
and spend and spend have a rough
understanding of how much like i did
this at the start of university um i
didn't really necessarily stick with it
but i did make a plan of how much money
i can spend every single week so that i
don't kind of
go over my student loan or how much
allowance i have and i think that's a
really really good starting point that's
definitely something i'd say for
everyone to do just because
in some weeks where i was going a bit
more crazy i knew that okay in the next
couple of weeks i have to show a bit
more restraint and spend a bit less now
again i did have a part-time job i
recommend people to get a part-time job
you are living in london there's a ton
of ton of places to get there i was a
bit extra with mine i applied before i
even got into university i applied at
selfridges
as a sales associate just because i
needed i wanted to work there i knew it
was good pay but you can really have a
look at anywhere in london like there
were so many cafes and stuff that i'd
walked past on a daily and i'd see that
they were hiring so it's not really hard
to get a part-time job and i think it
definitely definitely does help you so
that's one thing i would recommend and
that's one piece of advice i would give
okay so that is the end of my ucl
university video if there's any final
pieces of advice that i might have for
anyone who is looking to go to
university just don't have too many
expectations i'm not saying don't have
too many high expectations i'm just
saying don't have too many expectations
generally because i feel like that's
where a lot of people kind of set
themselves up
and don't end up having the best
experience with university
everyone's experience is different i
have so many friends who go to ucl so
many friends who come from luton with me
and i can definitely say that even our
experiences of university are so so
different everyone has a different
university experience so people might
tell you universities like this and
people might tell you you're not going
to make friends and people might say uh
oh you know the work is boring but
really and truly university is what
you're going to make of it so if you
want to make friends and
you you hear people say you know my
friends you need to go out and you need
to be the social one and you need to
talk to people and that's how you're
going to make friends if people are
telling you the course is hard if you're
spending extra time working and revising
you're not going to find the course hard
so i think it's very very subjective i
think diversity is what you make of it
and i don't think like i said don't set
yourself up don't have these high
expectations of university go in there
with open mind and enjoy yourself um and
then yeah that's pretty much the end of
the video i hope you guys enjoy this
video if you guys have any comments or
any maybe if you guys want me to do
another one i'm more than happy with you
guys to leave comments or questions in
the comment section and i can see if i
get answered but please do like and
subscribe i'm hopefully looking to be a
lot more active in my youtube channel
but yeah look out for more university
[Music]
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