Starting University

Second in a series on the Christian young person embarking on university

Reprinted from the CViE Newsletter 2016

Starting university can be one of the biggest steps you take. It is often the first time that you move away from home and there will be many questions and thoughts that race through your mind. Will I make friends? What will people think of me? Will I get homesick? I write this article from my own experiences as a student who found it difficult to adjust to university life, and I hope it may be helpful for those who are starting university this year or are hoping to go to university at some point.

University usually begins with ‘Fresher’s week’, which is the annual introduction to ‘university life’, put on by the Students Union. It is a week filled with a wide variety of social events. However, sadly many of these events involve going to a nightclub or consuming large amounts of alcohol. For me the first hurdle to cross was telling my flatmates that I would not be joining them during Fresher’s week for many of these events. I was worried what they might think of me but I discovered that by saying I would not participate in such events from the beginning made the rest of the year much easier. They accepted the fact that I would not join them and after a while they did not ask me to come. As time progressed, I learnt to be more open with new friends that I would not join them in nightclubs or such events. The fear of a man is a great stumbling block and is certainly not easy to overcome, but I have found that people respect my decision.

Homesickness is another hurdle that you may be faced with. Moving away from a loving family home was one of the most difficult things I have undertaken and I really struggled with homesickness. Initially I did not tell anyone how much I was struggling, as I was afraid that people would think I was being pathetic. However internalising these feelings only made it worse – if you feel homesick don’t be afraid to tell someone. I had a huge amount of support from the congregation of the chapel which I attended, and once I had told them how I was feeling it was such a burden off my mind as I then had their prayers and support.

University life can be difficult and you may be exposed to many worldly practices that might shock or burden you. There will be times whilst living in halls of residence that you may feel like you cannot escape from the ‘world’. However, I found that setting aside time every day to read my Bible and pray was helpful; it gave me time to escape and reflect. I remember the day I left for university – we read Genesis 31 in family worship and the verse that stuck with me was verse 49: ‘And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.’ The Lord is omnipresent and I have proved that He hears and answers prayers – even those concerning the problems that faced me at university.

I went to university thinking that I would be in a minority. However, I have discovered many like-minded people throughout my years at university, some who are Christian and others of different faiths. You are not alone and there are many people who are able to support and help you. University is often spoken about as the ‘best time of your life’ and you may feel that you are missing out on the ‘good times’ that your peers tell you about. However, in Romans 8:28 the Bible tells us this: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’

May the Lord be with all those who are starting university this year, and guide those who are seeking to go to university in the forthcoming years, all being well.