University life is very different from school, and it's normal to have some worries.
From imposter syndrome, to studying abroad, to feeling nervous about how you'll be taught, our past and current students address some common questions.
"I have two staff shout-outs. One is Chrysanthi Gallou. She is the nicest woman you could ever meet. The other one has to be Tiziana D’Angelo. She is someone I look up to so much. Any time you ask a question, she doesn’t think it’s stupid – she’s the person who I want to follow in her footsteps."
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"The staff have been great. Whenever I’ve had an issue (whether course based or not) I can write them an email and often within 20 minutes I’ve had a reply. This isn’t something I expected, especially coming from school where it can take days for a teacher to reply."
"Ross Wilson was my personal tutor and he's also the Director of Liberal Arts. I can't even explain what an absolute hero that man is. I think I can vouch for every single liberal arts student in saying that he goes above and beyond."
"I did a research project with Christina Lee. My job was to go into Manuscripts and sit trying to decode these recipes! We were working with biochemistry, who were taking samples off the manuscript paper and trying to find protein signatures that matched the ingredients from the recipes. It was amazing."
"Academically, I’ve developed so much through the feedback I get. I make sure to pay attention to every bit of feedback, and if I hear something twice then I know I need to work on that particular area. I liked how the more you seek help, the more help you got."
"Stephanie Lewthwaite has been there since my first year. I don’t think I’ve ever had a lecturer who is so caring and considerate. She really wants to know how you are dealing with everything. We have had our lecturers from the start and as it's a smaller course, you really get to know them."
"At first, it was very daunting walking in there, because you don’t know what level other people are at. It did take you back to the very basics and that was so useful because I knew next to nothing! Everyone had to go through the same material and just learn a basis for history, literature, and art and archaeology, which was so useful."
"Imposter syndrome is something many people feel at university. But by chatting to other people on my course I realised we were all in a similar boat and we developed a really tight knit friendship group. I came to understand that I wasn't the only one who might feel a bit out of place and the whole foundation year is to help you cope with university life."
"The thing I'm most proud of is overcoming the issues I had around my self confidence and trusting my abilities. Now, I feel a lot more confident in myself, my intelligence and my academic capabilities. My route into higher education may have been longer than others but it's worked out well and made me into the person I am today."
"I went to Charleston in South Carolina. It was 2016, so the time of the election which was massively interesting for me to be there and witness such a big political moment. It was a really tense environment in the US at that point, with race relations and politics."
"Until my year abroad, my French speaking was far from good. It's a really unique learning experience when you are completely out of your comfort zone. My year abroad was the best year ever!"
"I went to Alabama for my year abroad. I saw and did as much as I could around my uni work. It was just amazing. I definitely think I’ve become more adaptable. I can tailor the skills I already have to different situations."
University of NottinghamUniversity Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD
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