as long as we're together.

Watch: He definitely wasn’t expecting that.

Don’t be afraid of reaching out to people, whether to people in the same class, people living in the same dorm, tutors, professors, uni staff etc.

University is often a lot more impersonal than school. It’s easy to get lost in the masses. In an average year, I teach and tutor between 400 and 500 students. Unfortunately, that means that I hardly ever notice quickly when something is wrong with a student. It does however not mean that I don’t care. On the contrary, the individual interactions are the most rewarding part of teaching. I genuinely like it when students approach me. Find somebody you trust and talk to them!

The great thing about universities being pretty big machines is that there is a lot of support in place. The not so great thing is that most universities are notoriously bad at signposting support and distributing information. Ask! The information is out there, it’s just a question of finding it.

Whether it’s not knowing something or struggling to make friends or needing help… Remember: you are not the only one! Honestly, you are not. I’m a very young professor, still in my 20s myself, and it’s already pretty difficult to shock me. As a teenager I stayed with a family who had seven kids. The dad told me quite early on “Whatever you do, somebody else has probably done worse…” That took a lot of pressure off me. Now I feel the same. I’m here to help without judging, to try and aid you in the quest for knowledge, and to point you in the right direction regarding the many options and opportunities a university has to offer. It’s my privilege! You are not stupid or childish or lazy for asking.