From High School to University

Welcome to all of the new Freshers who moved in over the weekend! Although it has only been a few days, I hope you have started to settle in and that you are happy with your new home here in Southampton. I’m sure the first few days will be extremely strange since you now are in charge of making your own dinner and doing your washing, which I know alone can seem strangely overwhelming! It is hopefully some consolidation knowing that in a month you should be all used to it.

This is my last week home in Oslo and last Sunday I turned 20! My 10th birthday is still so fresh in my mind that it was almost overwhelming turning 20 and I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about what I have accomplished and what is yet to happen. So cliché, I know – but let me explain!

Last Thursday it was the annual “aksjonsfinale” at my old High School here in Oslo, something I have attended both last year and this year as a non-student there. Every year the school has a fundraiser for different causes around the world. The “aksjonsfinale” is the night when the people involved in this announce how much money the school has been able to raise. It is one of the big highlights of the year and the venue it is held at is always so full many people have to stand.

Kristelig Gymnasium (KG) has around 900 pupils from Year 8 to Year 13 and the school raised over 2 million Kroner (roughly £200,000) this year. 

What is funny is that this is the same venue as the school holds the graduation ceremonies every year and hence the same place I graduated 1-½ years ago.

My graduation ceremony in 2014 all dressed up in my finest attire, the Norwegian traditional costume “bunad”. 

My old academic teacher, which is very similar to the Academic Tutors we have at Southampton, asked me if I wanted to come by the school on the next day to tell his class about both the transition from High School to University and from Norway to studying abroad. So, last Friday I had the privilege of being back at my old High School and talking to some of the final-year students about university and being abroad.

The teachers I had there were without any doubt some of the best you will find, who truly cared about us, saw what we were capable of and pushed us to reach our goals. As I reached the last months of being a student there I had convinced myself that I would never ever experience being at a school like KG again. But then, standing there in front of this class it hit me how lucky I have been to be student at KG for three years and how lucky I am today to be a student at Southampton.

I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have enjoyed my first year at Southampton if it wasn’t for the extremely kind and devoted staff we have here at the University and how they always have done their utmost to help me with all the different problems I have had.

My best example is from last October. I had picked my modules for my first semester and ended up with a module clash which easily could’ve been avoided if I had put a bit more time into checking what modules I could do and not do. So, feeling a bit embarrassed, I showed up at my Student Office and explained this. Not only did they help me pick which one of the two economics modules I should do by letting me talk to the different lectures who showed me the books used for each modules, but they also went back to my grade transcripts from High School to see which module would fit me based on my previous grades in economics.

Remember that my previous grades were in the Norwegian grade system, so the Admissions Team helped me to find out what my Economics grade would be equal to in England and when we finally chose which one was the best for me, they helped me find a good module to substitute the clash.

I’m sure some would think “But that’s their job!” Yes, indeed – but instead of all the extra help I received, the Student Office easily could have said “Ok, fine. Pick the economics module you want to do, find another module and then fill in the module change form.” This is just one of many examples I could give that definitely helped me settle in at Southampton.

The transition from High School to University is challenging in so many ways. As I mentioned to the final year students back at my old school, no one is going to hold your hand at university and remind you to do your readings all the time, so hopefully throughout High School you will have developed a good work ethic to take with you to university. However, if you need help with any type of problems (like a module clash) don’t panic, because at Southampton you certainly aren’t alone and for that I am very grateful.

Moving away from home and starting university is a big step where you naturally mature a lot in the process. The biggest transition for me was being alone and away from everything and everyone I was used to being around. In addition to this, let’s not forget the obvious - getting used to the cars driving on the wrong side and queueing to get on the bus, but it has all been manageable!

Now that I’m entering my twenties, I have decided not to stress about the next ten years and instead focus on what I want to accomplish/do this year:

• I want to get my driving licence this year. Its definitely about time and maybe learning to drive on the wrong side of the road will help me to stop being so confused every time I cross the roads in England! 
• I want to take up sports! I used to play tennis for about six years, so I have decided that although I might not be on a competitive team this year, I definitely want to start playing tennis again, no excuses. 
• I’d like to get involved in some sort of charity. I kept saying last year that I would do this, but I never did and I think this is one of the best ways to give back to Southampton as a city. 
• I want to do one of the language courses. As students at Southampton we are so lucky that we are allowed to take a FREE language course along our degree and I have always wanted to learn German, so Keine Entshuldigung! 

On a final note, I have eaten so much cake this weekend I’m going to be rolling back to Southampton on Sunday.

Alexandra