2.1 Your first few days at Exeter
It’s great to know you’ll be joining us very soon, and we’re hoping to meet as many of you as possible over the next few weeks. But remember, we are also here, online, to guide you through and to answer any of your questions. We are also here to try and encourage you to form supportive peer groups and friendships that will help you to feel at home.
Don’t worry if you feel a bit overwhelmed and homesick during your first few days and weeks on campus - it’s completely normal. I can assure you that even the most confident people around you must overcome a few nerves! Together with our amazing students, university support services, academic staff and the Students’ Guild, we will do all we can to help you settle into life as an Exeter student as quickly as possible. As soon as you have access to ELE, you might want to explore our Resilience Toolkit. This aims to support you in identifying and developing the skills that can improve your resilience. That way, you’re better prepared to cope with challenges. Building your resilience can support you to maintain a healthy sense of well-being at University and beyond.
If you’re unsure about anything and can’t find the answer anywhere in this course or online, please don’t hesitate to ask. As the phrase goes, there are no stupid questions!
If someone looks a bit lost, go up and say hello. And if you’re feeling a bit lost yourself, try starting a conversation with someone nearby (asking for directions to somewhere is always a good starter). You’ll meet the other students on your programme at the academic induction events. Still, there are thousands of other students within and across our Faculties. Even if it sometimes doesn’t feel like during the hectic first few days, your future best friends are somewhere out there. It’s now your job to find each other! So explore, try new things, talk to everyone, learn to say hello in the many languages our students speak, and begin what we hope will be some of the best months and years of your life.