First Impressions & Educational Culture Shock

First Impressions & Educational Culture Shock

My first impression of Essex was, ‘well this is big’. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I thought maybe it would be a few building and then the main educational campus. I was so wrong. The campus itself was the greatest shock to me as I’d never lived away from home longer than four weeks. This is the fifth week away from home and I'm still getting used to it. My accommodation is more than I could have hoped for; I had imagined almost a prison like situation, small rooms just bit enough for a bed and maybe a desk, and a kitchen that people would be fighting for use over the oven. However I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the rooms are big enough for two people, but the kitchen is not as bad as I imagined it, we still need to fight over use of the oven though.

The first week I can go into some detail, not much as I can’t remember much of it. The things that shocked me where the ways that people just went around doing their business as though they had been living here their entire lives. For me I had some trouble with this, it took me at least two to three weeks to find my footing and make my room feel like my new home. Once I’d settled in the next thing to overcome was, the cooking. I have cooked for myself many times but I had always been dependant on my father to cook dinners for me; pasta, pasta and some curry this is the extent of dinners. However my first impressions of just have the same meal over and over again was, ‘how boring!’ but it has definitely grown on me.

The educational cultural here at Essex is very similar, and yet different in so many ways. Back in the Plume Sixth Form we got given a taste of the life that we would have at university, a lesson being told things (lecture) and the lessons to build on what we had been shown. Even though this is exactly the same, we weren't living alone and had to think about our own well being quite as much. This has affected me in many ways in sixth form I could depend on other people to help me a lot, however at university we are all so much more independent meaning the only person that I can one hundred percent count on is myself. Another way that the culture to me by surprise is that everyone is from all over the world. For example Nigeria, America, France, Germany and these are only from my flat. It has changed my perspective on different cultures though what food they eat, music and so many more.

I have never been good with money. You can see where this is going, my bank account over the past few weeks has been dropping like someone free falling from a high altitude. I have had a good think about what is necessary, and what things i can do without. I came to the conclusion that eating is a good thing and buying new games, however necessary is still trumped by living. There are still temptations for me and I do admit that I have slipped up a few times since I made the decision to stop spending money unnecessarily.

For the time that I have spent here I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and I look forward to all thing ‘exciting’ times ahead. It will be an experience that I will never forget, hopefully.

University Of Essex First Impressions

Before I arrived at the university of Essex I had a lot of doubts about coming to university, after reading forums posts by other undergrads complaining about how different university is and how they can't handle it.

When I arrived at the university I had mixed feelings at the time, I felt nervous and exited because its a new experience for me and it is so important that I succeed. I moved into the Meadows which is a brand new accommodation it looked amazing and the nerves started flowing away. It took around an hour for me to finish preparing my room with a lot of help from my parents, well more like they made me sit and watch them unpack everything for me. I only started to get to know my flatmates after my parents left they all seemed like friendly people and I was slowly feeling at ease that I had some good neighbours.    

The first week went pretty slowly for me because im not into clubbing so I was in my room a lot of the time because I still hadn't gotten to know my flatmates well enough yet. So the first week wasn't too bad we had a welcome lecture which was very informative and gave me another reason why I was so happy about picking the university of Essex.

Its week four now and I have gotten to know my flatmates better and im barely ever in my room now, it has even helped my improve my confidence to talk to others I don't know. Also I have had quiet a few lectures now and am starting the see the big differences between sixth form and university, university is all about independence your lecturer gives you the basic information and you need to look more deeper into it. Where as sixth form you are given all the information you need for all your assignments, also the deadlines are very strict in university it has to be on a certain date and you cant change that.

Overall university has been a great experience so far and I'm aiming to pass on the accelerated route. 

First impressions of uni

Before coming to the university I was nervous about leaving home but I have settled in quite well.  I had visited the campus before so it was not completely new to me.  It seems like a nice environment because I have everything on my doorstep including shops and restaurants and classrooms and also club activities. However I did find it difficult in the first few days to find the right room my classes were in, which was quite stressful. 

Before I came I found clubs and societies on the uni website such as films and e-sports and when I arrived I was glad to find that they are still going.  I think they are a good way of getting to know people.

The style of teaching here is not too much of a culture shock for me because in sixth form at high school I was expected to take notes the same as here.  But I used to find it difficult to get all the notes down in sixth form and I still do now.  Something that I use to help me with following lectures is to record them on a dictaphone or iPod so I can listen to them again later and check my notes are alright.

I am finding maths easy to understand at the moment as it is about the same as A level and the way of teaching is also about the same. Some of the new subjects are difficult and I know I will have to work hard on these but I know I can ask my mentors.  Another difference is that at uni I don’t know my classmates very well yet whereas at school I had been with the same people for more than five years.  I am looking forward to getting to know my classmates better and having a chance to socialise with them too.

The main culture shock for me is living away from home.  I have to be more independent about knowing where I have to go when and also doing other things for myself like cooking.

My First Impreesions And Educational Culture Shock

I have always known that at one point I will be going back to university to study more but being a mature student, I  knew it was not going to be easy taking in to consideration my family and work. I am lucky to gain admission to the university of my choice, I am now here now in university of Essex with great optimism.

I must say the first two weeks have been very challenging, getting into a new routine was very difficult for me at first, due to the facts that I have to travel every day of the week from Southend to Colchester Monday to Friday. I have to set off early in the morning to avoid the traffic or delay on the train to get to lecture on time and also getting use to a new environment is  important for me to be able to adjust and concentrate on my studies.

What has helped me to settle in gradually, is the official support and material given by the university and advice from my family.
University of Essex Colchester, is well structured academically and located in a very pleasant unique atmosphere, I guess this is some of the reasons why I was able to gain more confidence about my study here and adapting so quickly.
Also as a home student and looking at students from different diversities and cultures studying in the same university is admirable and overwhelming.

Although, I did miss some of the first week of lectures but I was able to catch up due to the fact, Lecturers had been very helpful in delivering well understandable lectures and  so as the non teaching staff had been supporting in various ways.
I did loose my way couple of times but with help from my department and the university staff, I was able to find my way to lecture room.
Another fact that has help me quite a lot is the quick access to information via on line student database, where students and staff can get easy access to all the formal and social information through the university of Essex web site.

There is up to date information were we  can access, most especially personal time table,listen to lecturer again, email, moodle and others. The university web site will always give necessary update information and sometimes the updated information can prompt users to input reply or other information from anywhere at anytime, I am now getting use to checking my mail many times as possible in a day.

My plan now, is to get myself settle into academic importance first before exploring all the social advantages that comes with it, luckily university of Essex has so  much social activities going on, the student union is amazing and other departmental social activities.

I have taken noticed of them all and waiting for the right time to explores fingers cross!.


Segun Olaretan.

First impressions & Educational Culture Shock

A few weeks before making my journey to Essex University from London, I had a fixed perception of how University life in Essex may be like. This perception was built on my past experience in a previous University I had been in. Although this previous university was located a thousand miles away from Colchester, I somehow assumed the experience will be quiet similar. Four weeks into my first term in Essex University and I find that my judgment was rather different from what I expected it to be.

On arrival, I instantly took notice of the well-organized nature of the school staff and volunteers who were present at the car park, offering assistance to anyone who needed it, which to me was very useful since I had no idea where exactly I was going. Another observation that I found surprising was how easy people were getting along and socializing, almost everyone seemed to be in a rush to know people. This was new to me because people from where I'm from are less sociable and keep more to themselves most of the time.  I also noticed how there are a lot more activities organized in Essex  compared to my previous Uni, with parties going on almost every night, social events, all of which I find interesting even though they can be seen as a distraction to others.

Finding my way to class on my first week was however not the best experience. I got lost on many occasions and often had to ask members of staff for directions, to my surprise they were not familiar with most classes. The “Find your way” app wasn't really helpful either, it almost seemed easier to guess your way around campus than to use the app in most cases. 

The teaching structure is the most important observation I have made in my fourth week here in Essex, a lot more different from what I'm used to. Attendance wasn't monitored back in my previous University. Group work had a percentage in your final mark but most  of your results came from Mid-semester test and final Exams. I personally had a friend who attended lectures a few times and had very good grades just by reading the handouts given, whereas in this University, there are a lot more projects, coursework to be done which I prefer since it prevents from being lazy.

First Impressions and Academic Culture Shock

My first impressions when I came to was ‘Wow, I’ve made it’. Looking around the University made me realise how big this place is and how easily I would be able to get lost in it. At first I thought it was going to be like secondary school, with big tall buildings surrounding me but the shock I received was astounding. The University itself was well spaced out with big modern buildings while I was looking around and the fact that my accommodation was new, made it easily the best university choice to pick for myself. Being in a new environment was very nerve racking because this meant that I would be living on my own without any of my family members and doing the majority of tasks by myself seemed very difficult to do. When I arrived on fresher’s week, I knew I had to make as many friends as possible and pick the right people to, this meant I had to search for people that had a certain aura about them but for my amazement I had already found them. My flatmates are the nicest and most exciting people to be around and I was so glad that I had met them in my flat because we get on so well with each other.

As a new door opened in my life, I knew that the people here would open me with welcome arms and loving personality. The diversity of the different cultures here was phenomenal, I’ve never expected so many people from different backgrounds to be in one community that is; the university. Essex University has actually changed the way I have approached many tasks with and that is, in a good way. I hope that in the near future I would be gaining a lot of life experiences in this university as well as the academic experiences with it as well.

The educational side of the university was quite unique in its own way because it was such a change from secondary school to university. I would never expect the fact that each and every student is very independent and approach work in different ways. I’ve learnt that I can be flexible with the work that I complete and not be judged in the way it is approached but rather be shown many different ways to complete the task at hand. The fact that Essex University and many other universities has done this means that, each student can get different experiences and create new attributes to their skills.

So far I am really happy being at the University as I have gained a lot of new friends and gained new ways to learning the subject I love without any boundaries to come across. The first month of this university was a very good experience for myself and I can’t wait for the many opportunities in the future that the university has to hold.

First Impressions and Educational Culture Shock.

I had a lot of worries going through my head when I was preparing to come to Essex University. I worried about being away from my family, I worried about what my flatmates would be like, how my Course would be like, how my Tutors would be like. In all honesty, after the first week at University, more or less all of these worries are no more. I am getting used to not seeing my family as much slowly but surely. My flatmates couldn't be any better, my Course so far has been enjoyable and the Tutors have done a great job in making it interesting.

It hasn't come as much of a shock regarding the work ethic at the University. It is, as I expected, more independent work and a lot of free time and it is up to us how we make use of it. No-one is here to push us, or tell us what to do and when. It all comes down to us which is quite different to how life was at College where the Subject Teachers would play an equal part in motivating you to study outside class. The Tutors here do their job of teaching us the subject they are specialised it and if we have any problems outside class, we have our personal advisor to talk to.

The Albert Sloman Library is a great asset to the University. It has over a million books and it is a great place to study in a quiet environment and broaden your knowledge on the topics you are covering in class. It is very unlikely that at least one book that you require for one of your topics isn't there. If it isn't there, the University can bring in books from outside which is extremely useful especially if you really need that book for an Assignment.

Another main difference between University life and College life is that there is so much to do outside classes. There are various types of clubs and societies. The sports that are offered by the University is much more than what was offered at my College for obvious reasons such as there are much more students and because most of the students are staying in campus. I find the University Campus safe to go around at night time. The squares are never too packed nor are they too sparsely populated.

I had trouble getting round to most of my classes during the first two weeks which is understandable. It was basically like the first day of year Seven but it was easier to get lost. Slowly I am memorising the routes to each class I have to go to and memorising the route back to either Square two or three. The fact that I live in the Meadows means that I have to wake up, get ready and leave to my class at-least 10 minutes early compared to those living in South Courts or the Towers.

All in all, I think I have settled in well at the University of Essex and I have no problems so far regarding Accommodation, Teachers or the Modules I am studying. I hope it stays like this for the rest of the academic year.