Moving to Liverpool: My tips for first-year students

Posted on: 2 October 2020 by Luca Frigulti in Blog

Luca Frigulti is a second-year Sociology student in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology. In his blog, Luca talks about how he felt moving to the UK from Gibraltar to start University, his first impressions of Liverpool and his tips for new students this year.

My name is Luca, I am 19 years old and from Gibraltar, a tiny territory just on the tail end of Europe. I came over to the UK last year after getting accepted by the University of Liverpool for BA Sociology and I’m currently making my way into second year.

Before moving to Liverpool, I did what I think most people do before moving to Merseyside: Checked if I could physically sneak my way into Anfield (their security guards are way too scary to try it past), tried to learn how to decipher the scouse accent (it’s not as difficult to understand as is portrayed) and worried day and night about university for the long and climactic build-up to September 2019.

The infamous Bill Shankly Gates at Anfield.

All I really knew before I arrived was what I was told from the emails, which felt like an avalanche of information, and that I was honestly quite scared. Moving to a foreign country and having to make friends with people who I felt somewhat culturally separate from was definitely terrifying, but I must admit, for all the anxiety I had about university life, it didn’t match the exciting feel of the city of Liverpool. The general vibe of Liverpool, the city, the people, the university, is addictive.

I remember walking around campus, seeing fellow freshers with their lanyards proudly around their neck (however much people love to hate it, we all did it) and lugging suitcases 2 or 3 times bigger than them, and being in pure amazement. The connection I felt was almost spiritual: about to start a new adventure in my life, and feeling like I was at home, despite having just landed in the country about 5 minutes ago.

Luca (in the blue jacket) with friends at the Beatles Statue, Pier Head.

Unfortunately, my full first-year experience was cut short. COVID-19 was ravaging across Europe, and I was forced to return home in March; I’m sure other international students will agree with me when I say it was heart-breaking leaving during that time.

I chose Sociology because I am passionate about social issues and must admit, I am the friend that can talk for hours about a far-flung conflict and injustice. If you are that friend, you’ve found your course. The diversity of modules given during first year allow for you to find interest in topics you may have never even thought about before, from sociological theory to contemporary politics and the sociology of prisons and crime, you’ll have enough SOCI modules to shake a stick at.

It may seem daunting at first receiving lots of emails and notifications on Canvas about each module, but here’s my breakdown of what I wish I was told during the first few weeks at University:

• Read through each SOCI module and print out the ‘Module Handbook’ for each module, they are really useful to find out when assignments are due, and tell you what you’ll be doing each week, in case you want to prep ahead.
• Get a calendar organised and set the due dates for these assignments, so you don’t get caught off guard and end up writing them the night before because someone in the group chat mentioned it (even though we all inevitably do that at some point). I personally had a huge day-to-day calendar on my wall by my desk so I could see the looming deadline of that 2,500-word SOCI 101 essay get closer day by day.
• Find the reading lists for each module and pick out which are textbooks, and which are sources or books. Similar to A-Level, textbooks become your best friend in sociology as they can explain topics and can be quoted in assignments. I highly recommend you get as many as possible from the Library in your first week before they’re gone.
  (Saying that, you do not need to buy every book on the reading list. You will definitely need textbooks of your own and some books which are there, but most are well stocked in the library or are FREE to be read online. That money you spend on books can be used for more ‘useful’ investments, like Guild Burritos).

The Liverpool Guild of Students' 'famous Guild burrito' is a favourite among students, read more about how the Guild is ensuring students can still enjoy the amazing food and drink on offer safely: Eat and Drink wih us - Liverpool Guild of Students

• If you’re struggling to understand any of the topics discussed in lectures/seminars, YouTube can be your best friend! I used it to get a good grasp of some of the topics covered in modules; videos can provide summaries, reviews of articles and even interviews of sociologists explaining their views.
• Watch all lectures! Now that they’re online its easier than ever, you can wake up 10-minutes before and watch a 45-minute lecture cosily tucked into bed and no one’s the wiser.
• Keep up to date with the news, you never know when you can throw in a contemporary example of something in the news into an essay. Lecturers love it, and it keeps you informed on important issues today.
• Use the library to your advantage! The Sydney Jones library is arguably the most misunderstood building on campus. The library throughout the year hold ‘KnowHow’ seminars on everything you could need for university, be it essay writing, note taking or source gathering. Whatever you may be unsure/uneasy about, they probably have a class on it. They even have a dedicated librarian for sociology who works tirelessly for you to find you articles and sources on anything you could ever want to know on any sociological topic. Use these resources!

These are the tips that have helped me throughout my first year of University, but it is all about finding what works for you. Time at University flies so make the most of the opportunities that come your way and most importantly, enjoy it.

If you are a new student joining us this year, make sure you look at the University's Welcome pages where you an find out about Welcome Week events, information about starting University and more advice about settling in here.

The Liverpool Guid of Students also have a guide to starting University on their Welcome 2020 pages.

To learn more about studying at the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, visit our study pages: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/sociology-social-policy-and-criminology/study/