Most students come into Imperial with either one of the following mindsets – that first year will be a breeze and they can have all the fun they want without worrying about the consequences, or that they must focus entirely on working towards achieving that first- class honors and get their name on the Dean’s list, no excuses. One thing you will realise is that neither mindset is correct, and that the best students exist somewhere along the spectrum of those two ways of thinking. Your mental and physical health is vitally important, as only when you are in the best state of mind and body can you offer your best to this degree.

University can often move at a hundred miles an hour, so staying organized is important. It can seem like a tedious ask in the first couple of weeks, since coming to university from high school, college or a gap year can seem to make all thoughts of structured learning evaporate. It requires a lot of independence, and you are still adjusting to the freedom of not having to follow a set timetable. You may enjoy the freedom at first, but you must appreciate that it comes with the responsibility to ensure you don’t fall too far behind in your academic tasks, such as attending personal tutorials and completing assignments.

Planning is good and all, but perhaps what is more important is acting on your plan. As I mentioned earlier, being a fresher newly out of the high school education structure, it can be tempting to spend time doing “nothing”, like scrolling through social media or hanging out with your new mates but pushing things to a later time will come back to bite you. It is no secret that all university students are behind on work - you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who is at least level with everything that you have been taught (let alone ahead) - and that is part and parcel of being a university student, but what you must not do is get into thinking that you can leave work as you are already behind. Granted, procrastination can’t be fixed by just telling yourself to stop procrastinating, as it often manifests from fatigue or a loss of motivation that causes your mind to wonder, so the best thing to do is put your distractions to one side and make a start.

Being new to Imperial can be daunting – it’s a new place, most probably your first experience of university, and for some of you the first time living by yourself in a new city. The one thing that can be guaranteed is that the imperial community is very vibrant and welcoming, both inside and outside ChemEng, there is always the opportunity to make friends. Your friends will be an invaluable support network and you will share amazing experiences with them, but you need to put yourself out there to find them first!