First in Family:

As the first person in my family to go to University, I had absolutely no idea what to expect when applying. The idea of university never came up until I entered sixth form, where my school began getting students to think about post-16 options and encouraged everyone to apply, even if they weren't sure. For my first few weeks I was quite worried with fitting in with everyone else, which is expected for all students starting university, but I felt it doubly so, having been the one to guide my parents through common university concepts like societies or tutorials. Over time I began to meet with other students and realised that we were all adapting to our new life away from home. It brought a lot of confidence to speak to older year students in Physics to get an idea of how the course works, and it helped a lot when first settling in to form a schedule of everything I needed to do in my first term; assignments, society and social events, and household chores were planned out to help keep a weekly routine and balance my work, chores and life. Now I'm halfway through my degree, I don't feel like I don't fit in at all, and have been welcomed by the university community at large.

Female in Physics:

I was surprised when I started at Warwick at the proportion of women in Physics being about a fifth of the cohort – I had expected to be one of a very small group of women, so was comforted to be able to find a group of people in a similar situation to myself. At times throughout the course, when struggling with assignments and projects, I was scared that people would assume I don't know things because I was a woman, and would keep quiet during group projects in the fear my ideas would be wrong or overlooked, but over my time in the course, I have been able to gain confidence and fit in with the Physics community.

Top Tips for new students:

-Find a routine: When starting off as a Physics UG, the term starts and before you realise it you're already 3 lectures behind, with 5 pieces of work due in ASAP! When work is irregular, it can be difficult to stop working when there's always something new due in a few days time. Without a proper routine and plan to tackle all of the assignments, you will never stop working and will burn out very quickly! When you look at how many CATs (credits) a piece of work is worth, and remember that 1 CAT is worth about 10 hours of work, you can form a schedule and allocate time appropriately to help achieve a healthy work-life balance.

-Try attending some societies and sports clubs: It’s advice you hear in every list for new University students but for good reason! Outside of who is on your course and who you live with, they're the best place to meet new people with the added bonus of being brought together by a shared interest/hobby. When you spend time with a society related to something you do or like, you can avoid awkward small talk because you know everyone else there will also be there for your shared interest.

-Get to know people on your course! When your course is your life, getting to know the people on your course is a simple way to get in some socialising. Attending lectures and problem classes will acquaint you with people in your year, and spending time in the undergrad study room, or attending departmental events can introduce you to students in other years. It can be insightful and encouraging to bond with other students over your coursework, and get an idea of what further years hold from older students.

-Take it easier in first year! The assignments in first year are more about practice than perfection; it is impossible to get top grades on every single worksheet, quiz and assignment and live a healthy life at the same time. When everyone says “First year is the time for fun”, they're right. Don't let every single piece of work weigh you down.

-Start thinking about further opportunities! Once your exams are over in June, you have a long summer waiting for term to start again. Take this time to do something to support your career, whether it’s a part time job, an internship, or picking up a skill that will be useful in the future. Then is the time to do as much as you can (while still having a refreshing break) before term starts again.

-Don't be afraid to fail: All students coming to study Physics at Warwick will have been top of their classes at home, and it's important to keep that in mind. Its not possible to be the best in the cohort at everything, and you shouldn't feel bad about that! It is physically impossible to get a perfect grade on every assignment, and it shouldn't be a goal to work forever to achieve that. Working to your best standard while still maintaining a healthy work-life balance will result in a degree you should be proud of!