Before she began her Psychology with a Placement Year BSc degree, Alia Awan was worried about where she would sit in the lecture theatre and how she would make friends, but her first year at the University of Kent has worked out even better than she’d hoped.
‘Going to university, making friends and keeping up with academic work is a daunting task in itself. All summer I imagined walking into a lecture theatre and stressing about where to sit. What do I say to the person sitting next to me? How do I introduce myself without sounding awkward? Fast forward to September, I was starting my first day with a Zoom link.
Previously, social media was an escape from reality but now it’s the other way around. While social media platforms do have a bad rep, they’re so integral to our lives that losing our phones is a genuine fear for many.
At the beginning of the year, the number of WhatsApp active chats I joined felt overwhelming. I was hesitant to send a message on any one of the chats. At the beginning of the year, activity peaked with introductions being made and concerns being shared. It was so lovely to see a lot of other students engaging in conversation. Reassurance was exactly the thing I needed to calm my nerves about starting university. With everything online, it was inevitable that there were going to be too many group chats. So, how do you know which ones to join? The best answer I can give is that you don’t. You join everything you can, introduce yourself and hope others do too. If you can’t find a chat that works for you, start one!
It was so lovely to see a lot of other students engaging in conversation. Reassurance was exactly the thing I needed to calm my nerves about starting university.
No matter how many times it is said, we will always underestimate how much reading there is for our course. Finding a hard-working reading group early is one of my biggest achievements this year. Having a small group allowed us to cover the reading in full, making it less overwhelming for each of us because we were able to split it into manageable chunks. This is how I made my first friends! It’s hard to believe how easy it is to transition from a reading group to a friendship group that we call “The Kentish study consortium”.
Finding a hard-working reading group early is one of my biggest achievements this year. Having a small group allowed us to cover the reading in full, making it less overwhelming
If you told me last year I would be making my friends online before meeting them in real life, I would have been very sceptical. Pre-COVID my friendship groups were a consequence of proximity and frequency. Our shared passion for psychology was one of the only things we had in common, yet we were still able to become really close and achieve many great things together and individually just in our first year! Many of my accomplishments derive from this groups encouragement. They frequently pushed me out of my comfort zone which helped a lot with my confidence. For example, at the beginning of the year, my hands would shake after writing a question on the Teams chat but by the end of the year I was involved in discussions with my camera on; raising my hand without hesitation! A common approach to time management of uni work is treating it like a 9 – 5 job. We did exactly that but had to adapt it to online learning by setting work and break times. The breaks soon became the best parts of my day. Lockdown restrictions made it difficult for many to navigate online learning. But being able to watch lectures together, discuss the topic and get involved during the module drop-in hours set by lecturers helped keep me engaged. I can confidently say that my productivity, mindset and overall happiness improved. Before we knew it, exam season was here and we were finally able to meet in person!! A couple of times we were lucky enough to merge with another study group. This was a great opportunity for many reasons, one of them being that we could make links between different modules.
An amalgamation of active like-minded individuals resulted in what we like to call “The Kentish study consortium”. If you told me last year I would be making my friends online before meeting them in real life, I would have been very sceptical.
One of the highlights of the first year was a revision session believe it or not! The study group and I were watching the revision session live. During the session, one of us got a message from Dr Javadi on Teams! He noticed we were at the library and asked if he could join us. At first, we thought it was a joke but the next thing we knew he was walking into the room! After watching someone through your screen for so many weeks, seeing them in real life feels like meeting a celebrity! He then proceeded to finish the session with us and the rest of the students on teams.
During the session, one of us got a message from Dr Javadi on Teams! He noticed we were at the library and asked if he could join us. At first, we thought it was a joke but the next thing we knew he was walking into the room!
To summarise, online learning presented its challenges. However, with time it became the new norm. Establishing online friendships early on and giving them time to grow till we can meet in person has been a key part of my journey thus far. In the words of one of my favourite Disney films “venture outside your comfort zone, the rewards are worth it” – Tangled. I undoubtedly reaped the rewards this year.’
Clearing 2021 is open! Apply to join a Psychology degree at the University of Kent