Culture shock 101: A fresher’s guide

Traditionally, the concept of culture shock at university applies to international students adapting to a whole new country, rather than just a new part of the country. Home students face similar struggles moving away to university, coming from the south or north of the United Kingdom to the beautiful Midlands, an area that may feel far removed from other British cultural norms. Perhaps you are struggling with this change, or someone you know is. If you are, don’t worry! Let me reduce your concerns through this helpful guide to surviving and navigating your new home.

To understand the stages of culture shock, let me set the scene. It’s your first week, and you’re excited to start learning, joining societies, and cooking culinary masterpieces. That’s the honeymoon stage, or rather, blissful naivety. Then, out of nowhere, the dopamine wears off. Suddenly, you’ve signed up to 20 societies, your evenings are quickly becoming packed, and you still can’t understand what your Scouser flatmate is saying. That’s the exhaustion stage. Then, you realise you have a 9am seminar, in a building twenty minutes away from your accommodation, and that 7am wake-up seems inevitable. Frustration is the penultimate stage of this process, as you are forced to navigate the stress of having only four washing machines in your accommodation’s launderette, battle through the masses shopping at Tesco, and struggle without your daily Starbucks, because the budget doesn’t stretch that far after Freshers’ Week. This shock isn’t permanent, however, and here are some helpful tips to alleviate your stress.

Invest in a travel mug instead of spending extortionate amounts at Caffè Nero, despite how wonderful the one in the FAB may be

Tip number one: Budgeting
Presumably, as a fresher, this is your first time living alone, having to fend for yourself both in the supermarkets and the kitchen. And let’s not pretend that student budgets are luxurious. Maintenance loans barely cover accommodation fees, and, despite the new on-campus Co-op supposedly being cheaper, food shopping alone feels expensive. As you learn what you are able to successfully cook, a lot of your budget in the first few weeks will be dedicated to exploring new options. So, what can you do to help make this transition easier for yourself? To begin, make shopping lists before you go out to ensure that you stay on track and don’t go over budget. Perhaps download a budgeting app and invest in a travel mug instead of spending extortionate amounts at Caffè Nero, despite how wonderful the one in the FAB may be. Remember, the library has all the books you need for your course, so check before you order any textbooks. Don’t force yourself to become totally frugal however, let yourself spend a bit more once a week when going out.

Tip number two: Coping with regional accent divergences
The UK and all its regions are very diverse; the South and the North might as well be different countries, as the accents and cultures are so dissimilar. Warwick is a wonderful central melting pot for all of those disparities. As wondrous as this is though, freshers often struggle with this at first. Some British accents and dialects are quite difficult to understand, especially if you’ve never spoken to someone with that accent before. Take, for example, a student who has lived all their life in the county of Shropshire, which has a relatively neutral, middle-English dialect. Now, place them face to face with someone with a quite distinctive Glaswegian twang to their voice. Both students may struggle quite a bit to understand each other. How can you overcome this regional language barrier, you might ask? Simply take your time to listen and learn, and allow yourself to get used to it. Then again, if you are struggling with missing your local accent, there are plenty of societies for you to talk with others from your region, such as the Northern Society and the Welsh Society, to alleviate that homesick feeling.

Do also try to avoid coming home at 3am singing your heart out on a Sunday, or setting off the fire alarm at 8am on a Saturday

Tip number three: Getting along with your flatmates
This is one of the biggest changes that freshers go through. You’re attempting to get used to a new area, whilst also trying to navigate living with people who are essentially strangers. Some students may be used to sharing space, having lived with siblings, but others may feel that these new arrangements are quite strange to them. Your flatmates are nothing to be scared of. They’re just as new to all this as you are, and hopefully, by this point in Freshers’, you’ll have had a chance to get to know them, perhaps become friends with them. Of course, there might be fridge thefts and small disagreements over how the kitchen is used, but take this in your stride, and allow this to open your eyes to a new way of living. Kindness and empathy towards your flatmates can really make the next year the best year of your life. That being said, do also try to avoid coming home at 3am singing your heart out on a Sunday, or setting off the fire alarm at 8am on a Saturday.

Tip number four: Joining societies
Societies are arguably the most exciting aspect of university life. It’s hard to deny that we haven’t all spent hours meticulously going through the lists of societies on the Students’ Union website and checking out their social media months before we arrived at Warwick. The only issue is, after the Societies Fair, you’ve signed up to about twenty different societies, all with socials on the same day. Now you’re forced to choose between the Debating Society and the Baking Society – a very difficult choice indeed. Hopefully, during Freshers’ Week, you will have gone to a few events, trialling them to find the best fit for you. What I would recommend is picking three that you really enjoy and sticking to them to ensure that you don’t become burnt out. Say, if you’re interested in politics, you could perhaps join one of the many political campaigning societies, such as the Liberal Democrats or the UWCA (University of Warwick Conservative Association), to enable you to meet like-minded people and have valuable political discussions with them, rather than your poor, uninterested flatmates. You might also want to join a sports society as well, to ensure that you aren’t neglecting your health whilst studying here at Warwick. Sports are extremely beneficial for reducing stress and also homesickness. Go and have fun!

First year is all about discovering what works for you; don’t forget the library is open 24/7

Tip number 5: Adjusting academically
You got accepted into the University of Warwick. Congratulations! However, now you need to adjust from the rigidity of sixth form to the independent nature of undergraduate study. That can certainly be quite a big culture shock for many students. You have absolute freedom over what direction you want to lead your studies in. Perhaps now you can learn about something incredibly niche like delving into the legality of your favourite artist re-recording their music if you’re a law student interested in Taylor Swift. However, many students may struggle with how free they are, missing a clear sense of direction in their learning. That is totally normal and nothing to worry about. The first year is all about discovering what works for you; don’t forget the library is open 24/7. Be honest with your personal tutor about any issues or anxieties, because they can’t help you unless you tell them something is up. Allow yourself to settle into a routine, make yourself a timetable of when you want to study, and get your assignments done on time.

Tip number six: Self-care
As mentioned previously, you will now be faced with endless opportunities, both socially and academically. These are almost certainly more than you’ll be used to back at home, which is likely to further contribute to the culture shock you’ve already been facing. You might be tempted to grab as many of these opportunities as you can get your hands on, without taking any time for yourself. Remember not to be your own worst enemy. Although at first it might seem like you have unlimited time by living purely on dopamine, don’t forget to take some time for yourself, perhaps by doing some skincare in the evenings, or watching your favourite series on Netflix. Make sure also to prioritise your health when cooking as well, because if you have properly planned meals, with the best nutrients possible, then you’ll be so much more prepared for the day ahead. Make sure to drink water. Take an hour to walk quietly around the campus, or visit one of the many beautiful nature reserves in the local area. And, of course, if you do feel as if you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out to a friend or use the University’s wellbeing services, who are always there to help.

Culture shock should not be feared or ignored as a home student. Moving to university is a massive change, and you have every right to be anxious about it. Don’t let yourself believe that there is no way forward; just make sure to prioritise your health and wellbeing, plan out your life, be empathetic to others, and you’ll find that the curse of culture shock will slowly drift away.