A letter to first year me: Robyn

Posted on: 28 June 2023 by Richard Finch in Student experiences

Robyn is a Class of 2023 French and Italian graduate. Here, she looks back at her time at the University of Liverpool and thinks about what she would tell her first-year self.

Dear First Year Me,

You have no idea what’s about to happen for the next 4 years of your life. You’ve already achieved so much that you should be so proud of, particularly with moving to another city you’ve never been to before, far away from home.

You have so many worries on your plate, making friends, money problems, will your degree be too much for you, being away from home - you’ll forget about all those problems as you make it through your degree I promise. You’ve moved house all your life, constantly changing schools, making new friends all over again, being in an area you’ve never been to before. Trust me you are a lot stronger than you think you’re a natural at these sorts of things.

I know it might not feel like it in your first year, but you will be so successful come your final year! You get to teach English to French primary school children in PARIS during your year abroad?! You’ll have so many friends, you’ll finally join Drama Society and get to take part in your favourite play A Streetcar Named Desire?! And best of all, you’ll be as fluent as you dreamt of being in French (and to a certain extent in Italian!).

Make the most of uni life and live every day with gratitude that you get to experience this. It will fly by and before you know it you’ll be stuck on deciding what you want to do with your life after university. Nevertheless, you have such a strong support system in place even though it might not feel like it now. I know you’ve faced so many struggles in your first year that have made you so close to just giving up university altogether, but trust me it will all be worth it in the end.

Believe in yourself because the things that are about to happen in the next few years of your life are absolutely incredible - really not worth missing out on !

And finally stop comparing yourself to others!

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

From

Final Year Me