Here are 10 things I learned as a student in my first year at King's
- Alara Selcuck
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
As an 18-year-old girl who has come to London to live alone for the first time in her life, I’ve learned many things during my first year through experiences and people around me.
Independence and responsibility
Starting university was the first time I started living by myself. Through these months I have realised the responsibilities that this brings. I had to completely depend on myself and take care of myself. In the start there was no one else that could take care of me, so my self-reliance increased.
Importance of forming a close friend group
University is a place where you meet lots of people. Being away from home it is crucial that you form a new family here. London is a big city and Kings who has over 30,000 students. To diminish the feeling of missing home, having a close friend group that feels like family is key. You are your friends are there to take care of one another, so you think of home a little less.
Time management
London is a busy city, where time passes by fast. Meeting new people, joining societies and wanting to explore London - it is hard to not feel FOMO. It is important to manage your time so that you don’t miss out on assignments but also have enough time to socialise with your friends, taking advantage of this great city.
Self-care
I’ve realised that sometimes you need to prioritise yourself and take the day off. It is good for your wellbeing to take care of yourself, whether that's spending the day talking to friends and family members, cleaning your room, mediating, watching a movie, or even going to the gym. Days like these allows me to recharge and what has helped me stay positive through this semester.
Confidence and courage
Living in a new city and starting King’s taught me to be braver and explore many opportunities in life. You should try many things and join societies to form connections. The people you meet in those places most likely have the same interests as you. You then have easy made friends or have formed connections that will be valuable in the future.
Adapting to change
Whilst staring this new academic year, many things in my have life changed. I started living from a small city with hardly any public transport to London. Now I use public transport every day. I started university which is much different from high school, and I no longer lived with my family. All these changes were hard at once but with time I got used to all the changes and learned that it is important to be persistent in adapting to the changes around you.
Let go off things
Living in a new city, I’ve realised that you cannot always control things that happen to you. There are many factors that affect your life and sometimes it is important to know that you can’t be responsible for everything, nor you can expect everything to happen the way that you want it to happen. The best choice is to relax and ‘let things go’.
Networking
Being part of communities like the Women in Business Society at King's College London opened doors to meaningful connections and personal development. I’ve learned the value of collaboration and networking in a professional setting. This has not just been useful in terms of making connections but through these connections I’ve again made friendships and spent quality time.
Financial discipline
One thing all my friends realised is that living in London is expensive. In the start we were shocked by the prices of things like food, drink, and transport. We quickly adapted to this situation and started to go to more budget and student friendly places. You should prioritise payments in the beginning of the month so that you know how much money you have left for the rest of the month.
Cultural awareness
Living in London means that you are going to meet so many people with different backgrounds, beliefs and viewpoints. I’ve learned so much about people from other backgrounds and I enjoy understanding how their cultures form their ideas.
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