Starting university can be an incredibly exciting time. Yet the uncertainty that this new chapter brings can also provoke a host of worries. I found it very difficult to adjust to the new environment and the academic and social pressures that come with the transition to university life. My story touches on what happens when things just feel too much, the experience of depression and social anxiety, and what it’s like to drop out due to mental ill-health.
My story also touches on my second go at university which turned out entirely differently. By stepping out of my comfort zone slowly, managing the expectations I put on myself, and drawing on the support of people around me, I realised that university could be a positive place for me to learn and eventually work. I also came to see my earlier university experience not as a personal failure or source of regret, but as a difficult yet formative chapter in my life, without which I probably wouldn’t have ended up where I am today.
Keywords: Anxiety, academic stress