Students' and Parents' Experiences
"Second Time Around"
I did my A Levels in 1998 and applied to read Zoology and Genetics at Sheffield. To be honest, I chose Sheffield because I couldn´t afford to move away from my parents´ home in Chesterfield – Sheffield is only a 15 minute train journey away. I didn´t even go to an Open Day. I think that I found things very difficult because I was living at home – I couldn´t really socialise, and I only saw people in lectures so I felt very isolated, not part of the student community at all. I´d go to lectures and sit on my own, then go home. I did make a few friends, but no-one close, I never really made an effort to talk to people or get involved in anything, which in retrospect was pretty stupid of me – you have to make an effort, because everyone else is feeling just as shy as you!
I dropped out of my course and went to work as a science technician, but by 2004 I was so sick of doing a boring dead-end job I decided to go back to university. I spent a year doing A Level Psychology to get me back into the routine of studying, and discovered that I loved the subject so I applied for Psychology for 2005 and got a conditional offer. Again, I picked Sheffield because of its closeness to Chesterfield (although I have my own house now!), and I´m really glad I did.
This time round was going to be different. I wasn´t worried about my exam results – I needed an A but I was confident I´d get it, and sure enough, I did! It seemed to be so long before we actually started, I was getting very bored, but excited about my course. I took advantage of the mentor system and met up with my mentor and her other mentee before the course started, so at least I knew someone. I was a bit worried about being a mature student and not being in student accommodation, I thought I might not fit in, but I didn´t need to worry – everyone was friendly, and when I´ve told the "young" students my age (25) most of them said they thought I was 18! Everyone feels like they´re different at first because of nerves – going to university is a big step, even for me, and I´ve done it before! But we´re all in the same boat really; we´re all here to study and make friends and have fun.
Now I regularly make the first move and chat to anyone, even though I may never see them again. Explaining that I´m a mature student and I´ve been to Sheffield before actually provides a good talking point! I´ve made some friends, and I don´t think it matters that I´m not out every night drinking with them. I also joined the Singers´ Society because I love to sing (which was very scary at first, because I didn´t know anyone at all!), and I´ve been out on socials with them. It´s nice to be involved with a society because you all have something in common, even though most of them might not be on your course, or even in your year.
My advice to anyone, mature or not, is to get out there and give it your best effort, both socially and academically, and it really will be the best time in your life. If you don´t, you´ll definitely regret it – trust me, I know from experience!
Anna Roberts
Psychology
First Year