It goes without saying that first year is one of the most intense times of your life. You’ve been thrown into a new city, probably without anyone you know, and suddenly you are free to do whatever you want with your time. There is so much to do – how can you possibly know where to start? Whilst it can be overwhelming, the answer is ultimately that you just have to say yes.
In many ways I feel like I failed first year. I quickly formed a small, close-knit group of friends and I spent my first weeks terrified to go out properly in an unknown place. The move to a new city was deeply overwhelming, and all the options of things to do left me ultimately choosing to do nothing.
It was in January, when a friend dragged me along to a swing dancing class, that I realised quite how many options and people there are out there at university, and what would be the point in being here if I didn’t take up as many opportunities as possible?
I’ve learnt that saying yes is one of the best ways to get out there. Engage in a variation of things, with as many people as possible. Join a society you’ve always thought was cool; go to the pub or for a coffee with someone you’ve literally just met in a lecture. Only by saying ‘yes’ and going to whatever it may be, even if you go alone, will you know how you feel about it.
It is rare in life that you will live in a city so great, with so many people to meet, and so many societies and opportunities at your fingertips – seize this whilst you have it. And if you turn out to be really terrible at that pole dancing class you took, hopefully you have a story out of it for when you make more friends!
That isn’t to say that saying yes all the time is the right thing. The more I started doing, the more I learned that it is more than okay to say no when you need it, and navigating the times to do this is key.
It’s okay to not get on with people that you’ve just met, and it’s okay to float around different groups until you find friends that stick. One of the gifts of Edinburgh is that you don’t have to decide who you live with within three weeks (like many of our English counterparts do): you do not have to live with the first people you make friends with. Making friends is an ongoing process, and you have more than enough time.
Take a deep breath, remember that everyone is in the same boat, and put yourself out there. Speak to everyone, go to society events (and don’t be scared to go alone!), keep yourself open to new friendships. If you’re open and kind and willing, you will land on your feet.
“Edinburgh night lights 2” by Y H S is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.