Don’t be afraid to talk to people or ask for support.

Even if you don’t have an official autism diagnosis before starting university, letting the disability team at the university know of any support you require or of any issues can allow them to discuss what help they can put in place and any other additional needs you have. I wish I did this properly myself sooner and allowed myself to ask for help as this would have made starting university a much less stressful experience – when I did speak to a disability adviser about how difficult I was finding the first few weeks I felt a lot better afterwards as they were incredibly reassuring, and it made me feel better knowing that I wasn’t the only student who felt like this!

Don’t expect to make friends straight away in freshers’ week!

It is possible for some people to make immediate friends right from the start, but this is not always the case for most. Don’t feel like you must cling on to the first people you meet as it seems like everyone else has loads of friends already, just because other students or your own friends at their different universities look like they’re having a great time eg on social media it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true, people tend to only show the good times, and they might not be enjoying their university experience as much as it seems! It can take a few weeks or months get to know people and figure out whether you’d like to be friends with them but try not to worry – you will eventually meet people you like. Many students you meet in fresher’s week are all desperate to make friends/meet people as well – everyone is in the same boat and trying to make friends so don’t feel alone in feeling like you are struggling as it can actually be pretty common.

Try not to be put off by the perceived drinking culture.

A lot of people go into fresher’s week expecting it to be the best week of their life – I knew this was never going to be the case for me. It can seem like everyone else but you are obsessed with drinking/partying but there are increasingly more and more students who are choosing not to drink – there is always the option to choose alcohol free accommodation or request quieter flatmates when filling out your accommodation application. I personally didn’t mind living with others who drank, and it wasn’t a major problem for me at all, they were all lovely people and quite outgoing, so it made things a bit easier communication wise. If others try to pressurise you into drinking or try making you do things you are unsure of/definitely don’t want to do then they are people you probably don’t want to associate with, likewise if people judge you for choosing not to engage with the drinking culture it is their problem and not yours and you will definitely find some better friends who will accept you for who you are!

Sign up for a mentoring scheme.

This was a great way to hear about an older student’s experience who has been through the process before and is able to give tailored advice. This can be subject specific which can be a great help with knowing what to do, where to go, useful tips and tricks navigating your course and learning how to balance studying and university life effectively from someone who has been through it all, it is also a great way to have another person to reassure you that they felt the same way in first year and seeing that it all works out later made me feel much more at ease.

Don’t be scared to say yes (or no) to opportunities!

Joining student groups/societies is a great way to meet likeminded people or try something out for the first time, even if you end up not enjoying the event then that’s perfectly fine – it was a learning experience, and you decide whatever it was isn’t suitable for you. On the other hand, you can meet some great people with similar hobbies which is a great way to start making friends, whether that be sport, music, or art there are lots of societies on offer who do events in freshers for free, so if something doesn’t work out it’s ok as you haven’t wasted any money on something you didn’t enjoy! Again, don’t force yourself to attend something you know for definite you won’t be comfortable with, attending an event where there will be lots of noise/flashing lights and knowing you have sensory issues, you might have to be prepared that it will be something you find difficult and are willing to challenge, or if someone asks you to go with them don’t be afraid to say no if you know you won’t have a good time. It is better to be honest with that individual rather than making yourself do something that you won’t enjoy and most of the time they will be accepting of you saying “it’s just not my thing” but you can compromise and offer to try something out with them another time if you are willing to do so!

Look after yourself.

Get plenty of sleep – and be prepared to not be able to sleep for the first few days! I find it difficult personally sleeping anywhere other than my own bed at home and this took some time getting used to, if you are tired throughout the day maybe take a nap as it will make you feel better, also there can be general fresher’s week noise in the first week so maybe some earplugs can be useful if you think some noise may affect your sleep. Eat well, again you will feel much better and take time to explore the town by going for walks, not only is this good exercise but it also helps to familiarise yourself with the surroundings so that you know where you are going in future and feel more safe. Getting lost with no phone signal or Wi-Fi can be a scary thing so having a vague understanding will definitely be more reassuring! Meeting new people, going to new places and adjusting to university life can be incredibly uncomfortable and feel unnatural at first and it takes up a lot of energy. Don’t pressure yourself to socialise/attend events constantly because it seems like everyone else is doing so, it is perfectly alright to spend some time in your room resting and recharging, after all some things can takes slightly more effort than it would with neurotypical individuals!