Students' and Parents' Experiences
Life After Boarding School
Having finally packed the car full of luggage and worried that I wasn´t taking enough, Mum asked whether I was nervous. I wasn´t. And why would I be? Six years of boarding school had got me used to packing the car full of stuff and spending hours on the motorway, and having started university (albeit only for a month) the previous year, I knew what I was letting myself in for.
But after a stop at a service station somewhere en route, the nerves finally hit. I remembered how scared I´d been of meeting my hall mates both at school and in my first university hall of residence and how I was shaking when I met my first neighbour. I convinced myself it was only natural, and it was.
I´d heard how big Ranmoor was, but it was still massive beyond my imagination. Being led through various corridors and what was to become my second home, the bar, by a former `Ranmoorite´, was reminiscent of the first day at secondary school. And probably just as scary too.
Once the room-finding had been done and the mother (who didn´t even shed a tear – charming!) had departed, I set upon the task of meeting my hall mates. Only two other people had arrived, and on hearing them standing chatting in the corridor I took the plunge and stepped outside to introduce myself. And to my surprise, they were perfectly normal – not the freaks I had feared having to spend a year with.
So that was the first task over (and yes, in case you were wondering, the other 12 lads were normal too), the next task was to survive Intro Week.
Of course, the real reason that we´re at university is to study. After all the form-filling of registration week, the course could begin. This was a little more daunting, for I had taken a gap year and was well out of the routine of studying. But gradually it all came back to me – first I remembered how to hold a pen, and then I remembered how to use it.
Despite the financial situation that modern students face, I can honestly say I´m happy as Larry in Sheffield. The course is hard work yet fun (two words which I never thought could possibly go in the same sentence), I´ve made some great friends, and I´ve been too busy to miss living at home. The union is second to none and caters for everything, and having friends at other universities who haven´t enjoyed themselves much has led me to believe I´m really quite lucky.
My only fear? That the remainder of my degree will come and go too quickly.
Jack Rich
Journalism Studies
First Year