Common worries when starting university
By
ResLife
Posted 1 week ago
Mon 17 Aug, 2026 12:08 AM
Moving to university is a big life change. It's a new environment surrounded by people you don't know, so of course it's going to bring up some worries. But that's okay. It's completely normal to be worried and anxious before and when starting your course.
Here are some common worries students experience when moving to university that you may also feel:
Social worries
Living independently might not be your top worry, it could be finding friends and fitting in.
Remember everyone is in the same boat, don't worry to much if you feel like you haven't found your people straight away. Attending welcome and hall events, joining a society or casually starting a chat with a coursemate can help start connections and find like-minded people.
Attending our ResLife events can also help with finding friends. It takes away the social pressure of having to go up to someone in a big room of people. Doing an activity with a small group takes away the initial awkwardness and instead can give you a great bonding experience.
Another worry people tend to experience is any flatmate issues. There can sometimes be a social pressure that everyone in your flat must become a tight circle, but sometimes just co-existing with each other, saying hello over a morning coffee and a quick thank you for taking the bins out can be all the socialising you all need.
If you do need a quick ice-breaker or a night-in suggestion, here are 3 activities you can do with your flatmates.
If you are worried about avoiding conflicts with flatmates, we've got some tips for you.
Academic worries
Starting university can be daunting as it's a whole new educational process. Whilst you do have a lot more freedom, it can still be worrying that you might fall behind or even fail a module.
When beginning your course, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by your workload. Believe it or not, procrastination is normal. Many people assume it's just laziness, but it's actually an emotional response to stress, fear of failure and feeling overwhelmed. This could be either worrying that your work won't be good enough, large assignments feeling too heavy, or burnout, poor sleep and anxiety.
We are here to remind you that there is a way through feeling overwhelmed. You can break huge essays into small chunks, remove distractions and set timers whilst you work to avoid burnout.
It's important to be kind to yourself. Procrastination comes with guilt, but you must forgive your past delays and focus on what you can do now. You might not have revised yesterday, but you've got the rest of today to. Guilt will only make you procrastinate longer!
If you're worried about failing a module, talk to your tutor straight away. They can support you by giving you guidance where needed, and in most cases they'll offer you resit chances, extensions, tutoring and show you mental health services to help you get back on track.
Failing a module does not mean you'll have to drop out or that you can't do it. Sometimes it takes others a bit more time to digest content, as well as needing more academic support, which the university does offer. So try not to worry yourself if you feel like you aren't fully confident with your course. Ask for help as soon as you can!
Practical and Financial worries
Learning to manage your finances while living at university is a big life lesson. It might even be your first time opening a bank account. But this will teach you a lot about managing large sums of money as well as your day-to-day living costs.
Your maintenance loan is the largest sum of money you'll deal with. Due to this being a consistent payment throughout your time at university, it's always a good idea to use this for necessities - rent, bills, food shops, etc. A good way to divide this money is to calculate how much your rent/bills will be and take that off the full amount. Always sort your rent/bills/food shop money first! Next, you can either halve the rest into wants such as social activities, clothes, self-care, and the other half to savings. You don't have to start a savings pot the second you move to university, but it can be a good idea to try to put something aside a month, even if it's just £10, to have an emergency pot.
Or you can divide it into 60/30 - it's up to you really. But this makes it easier to see where you're spending your money.
Some students move to university without ever having done laundry before or cooked a meal - maybe you're the same. There is no judgement here.
Luckily for you, we're here to help you. On our ResLife page, there are many useful resources, such as Laundry in Coventry Halls, to help you know the basics. And the basics are all you need to know right now. Between socialising and your workload, you don't need to become a wizard in the kitchen. As long as you know how to cook a healthy meal, use a washing machine, and what cleaning products to use in which room, then you're good to go.
Check out our ResLife page to read more on basic life skills.
Whilst moving to university is an exciting change, moving away from your family can be very difficult. The typical response to this is something like, "But you've got so many new people around you". That's great in general, but it doesn't take away the feeling of missing the people you grew up with.
At the start of university, you may start having feelings of anxiety, sadness, lack of concentration, etc, and this could be due to homesickness. It's a big change, and everyone deals with/shows it in different ways. If you notice your flatmate has become withdrawn and a bit snappy, don't just take it at face value. Ask them if they would like to talk about it - they could just be missing home.
If you or your flatmate are feeling homesick, there are a few things you can do:
- Call someone from home. Whilst it might sound like an obvious thing to do, some people forget to reach out to home. Between your workload and social life, it's important to find time to catch up with family and friends.
- Print out pictures. When decorating your new university room, add some photos from back home with your favourite people. Hang them somewhere you can easily see them, especially when you miss them.
We understand that these thoughts can come out of nowhere, but it's completely normal to have doubts and queries. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. It's your first time doing this, and it's all a learning process.
We're here to support you during your time at university, and we're happy to answer any of your questions - even on how to boil an egg!
