Hello! My name is Raitieli Cabebula and I have just graduated from my Bachelors at Exeter, and am now a Masters student studying law.
It’s understandable that starting university can be a very daunting experience for many worries about how you will make it through the first term as well as how to tackle the hurdles that come with this new phase of adulthood can seem like big challenges.
I truly hope that this blog will ease your anxieties, as I delve into my own personal experience of what the first term was like as a Masters student.
Integration: Settling in and making friends
Before university started, I initially had the stress of whether I would be prepped and ready for a change in course. I studied BSc Politics and International Relations prior to starting my Masters in Law, and despite these subjects being within the same department –the faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences – the content is entirely different and considering it’s also a different level of study, that I felt a little apprehensive to start.
My first worry was whether I would be able to have enough time to integrate myself into a new field of study; however when it came to Freshers’ week (Welcome week), going into the course itself was much easier than I had anticipated. The modules provided were good for getting a solid basis on the theory and knowledge I was going to be expected to study, and the workload has been manageable. Having already worked on my undergraduate course, I understood the requirements, standard of learning and expectations I ought to meet in order to ensure I kept up to speed with the content required on my Masters. Although there have been setbacks with my own personal life that have caused a few disruptions alongside my studies, this has only empowered me and catapulted me to be more motivated and determined in my academic career.
Multicultural Society Social Event
In collaboration with Turkish Society, Filipino Society & South Asian Society
Multicultural Committee & South Asian Society
Picture captured at a event organised by the societies
Making friends and meeting new people
Speaking with other Masters students that I am close with, they too studied at the University of Exeter for their Bachelors and have mentioned that being a Masters student requires one to grow up and realise that not everything is as important as you thought it was. In comparison to being an 18-year-old fresher coming to a new city for the first time and meeting many new people and seeing many new faces, as a Masters student who has already studied at Exeter, I’ve learned what to prioritise, what’s important and what needs attending to. Everything else becomes clearer because I have matured along the academic journey and understand that being a Masters student truly requires a level of dedication that you might not need in your first or second year of a Bachelors degree. As a result, I have become more efficient with the way I spend my time in regards to studying, working and having fun with friends.
Seeing new faces in my classes and on campus also has been interesting. I have been studying at Exeter for five years now, and it is always interesting to meet new people, but also somewhat bittersweet; making friends and seeing them leave is something I have come to terms with long ago and also accepted that not everyone will always be present in your life. However, being at university has truly taught me to roll with the punches, and this very much applies to the people within my life. Because this is now my fifth round of meeting new individuals and getting to know them, I feel like I’ve developed my interpersonal skills this term, for example by going to social events or networking events.
Despite everyone having very busy schedules, which is something we all had to grasp early on, it’s good to know that we are in this together. A few of my friends have also stayed at Exeter to study for their Masters degree, and having them around is great; it is so comforting to know that the same struggles and issues I have gone through, they have also experienced. It has truly created a very tight knit community amongst us postgraduate students, since the cohorts are now smaller and more intimate.
Attending a social event and meeting new people
Career Prospects
In relation to career prospects, studying a very specific course for my Masters has truly narrowed down what I would like to do in the future. I have found my interests and talent within what I like to study, and from this been able to work out what I would like to do in my career. Having access to the University’s careers services has been helpful with providing tips for cover letters, workshops and 1-1 meetings. With lectures, seminars, independent study and managing time, since starting my Masters I now have a new chance to understand where I want to be in life and what I would like to do. With this comes identifying and prioritising what I value. This term has offered perspective and a moment of self-evaluation, self-review and meditation of what the future holds for me, for which I am grateful. During my Bachelors degree, I was somewhat confused about my future and what life held for me, but now that I am older and have options that I did not even consider or realise I would be open to, I am more excited and motivated to give it my all!
Adapting to changes within the University
I have been a student at the University of Exeter for nearly five years now, from starting my Bachelors in 2020, to now starting my Masters in 2024, and I have seen many changes within the University. New formats have been introduced to learning as a result of advancements in technology, so knowing where to access papers, articles, reading materials and content for my course hasn’t always been straightforward. It has been a journey, so being in touch with my peers and working through this together is something that I have learned to improve in this term.
When it comes to accessing resources and understanding how to use them, luckily, there are services on hand to provide help with issues and queries, such as helpdesks in the Forum and my own department that I can visit in person, or I can contact the information helpdesk online, or even submit my questions online to the Student Information Desk (SID). So having to come to terms with this new change and even navigating this new chapter in my one individual time independently is something that I would not have done as a fresher, but with this comes experience and assistance from other postgraduate students – for which I am grateful.
Daily life beyond my course: accommodation, societies and part-time work
When it comes to my daily life, not only am I a student, but I am also a student content ambassador for the University, which is a part-time job of mine that I have learned to juggle alongside my studies during this first term. I must admit, it has had its challenges, but after trial and error, I feel I’ve now got the hang of it even though at times, I had to get out of my comfort zone. Taking on this role, my intention was to simply make use of my experience as a student in hopes of educating prospective students on the do’s & don’t’s of university life and showcasing my daily life through online content. As part of this job, this term I had also the opportunity of being in several photoshoots, which I loved and hope to continue in terms 2 and 3.
Adding onto my other responsibilities, I am also on the committee for Multicultural Society. Having to juggle being a student ambassador, society work as well as staying on track can be a handful, but what I loved about this term was that I could use this time as an opportunity to see how well I can manage different responsibilities and also dabble into my own personal interests (i.e. social media, content creating, culture and socialising), while still mainly focusing on academia. This term has granted me the opportunity to meet many different people due to being on committee for this society, which has been an absolute pleasure. Our events ranged from movie nights to pub quizzes and potluck dinners all of which me and the other members of the committee organised, therefore seeing this play out successfully with excellent attendance across the term was so satisfying and such a pleasure to witness.
Since it’s a new academic year, I have also moved into new student accommodation with new people in a new flat. This year I truly got lucky! Not only are the staff at my accommodation lovely and helpful, but they do weekly events for students in the common room and weekly pizza nights for us to enjoy after a long day of studying. My flatmates are all very respectful and we even have monthly flat nights where we come together to eat and simply catch up. We are students at the end of the day and have busy schedules, so even if it’s something as simple or trivial as a flat night that’s hosted once a month, these have been wonderful in regards to boosting morale. For our last flat night, we went to a popular place within Exeter called The Old Firehouse to enjoy the atmosphere, live music performances and grab a bite to eat. I will never tire of moving into a new accommodation, despite how anxiety driven and nerve-wracking it can be to meet new people within a confined space. I’ve enjoyed putting my best foot forward and know that being myself has paid off: I can say that I have a decent connection with my flatmates, who over this first term have become my friends.
The Future
I hope this blog has eased any worries or anxieties you may have had about coming into the first term of your university journey. This is my own personal experience, so do not expect yours to be an exact carbon copy, simply be open to anything that comes your way and enjoy the ride whilst you’re on it, because once it’s over you will truly miss everything that Exeter has to offer.
Last words of wisdom, meet new people, experience new things. If you’re a fresher, join lots of new societies and try everything at least once. Go out of your comfort zone and do things you never would have done before. This phase of life will be one of the best and is something you will look back at fondly. Of course there will be some challenging moments, but don’t let that undermine the good that is to come. Live and learn, university will truly test you, not just academically, but mentally and don’t expect to be the same person you were when you arrived. Change is inevitable, and it is safe to say I am not the same person I was when I first arrived, nor am I the same when the term started.
Overall, I am very much looking forward to what the next term holds for me. I wish you all the best for what your academic journey holds for you, and hope you are excited for life as I am!