It’s always slightly hard going somewhere for the first time. I remember as a kid the first day of a new school or a sports lesson that my parents signed me up for. That horrible gut ache feeling and slight hope that there would be at least one person who you could connect with and talk to and not feel like a complete outsider.
At uni there are multiple places to feel this – especially if it’s your first year here. I know this because I started in this role as one of the Chaplains at UC last year and here’s a couple of tips from my perspective so far.
Firstly, and its going to sound weird, but just put on a smile and enjoy everything you can. I know this is hard to hear for introverts and the like, but if you kind of act like you know what you’re doing and just give it a shot, somehow things seem to fall into place or at least vaguely become the new normal. The older I get , he more I see this playing out – a lot of the time we can feel alone and like we’re bluffing through life – but its ok – pretty much everyone feels like that to some extent. Feeling like this doesn’t define you!
Secondly, nearly everyone I have met so far has been welcoming and helpful. There are plenty of people out there who can help you get life sorted. When I went to uni fifty million years ago we had one café, a health centre with maybe a couple of doctors in it and loads of events. Now there is support options galore – full of super talented people here to make your life easier and help in any way they can.
Thirdly be brave. Join a club. I’m biased in this area but there are some really good faith-based clubs on campus who do great work. If you have come from a faith/church background this is an excellent place to start for friendship and a faith community. Just do a search for faith groups on the UC website and you’ll find the different groups and local church options. If you don’t come from a faith background, every one of these clubs will still be glad to hear from you!
Finally, one of the areas both John (other Chaplain onsite) and I excel in is listening and being some company. Both of us studied at UC and semi vaguely know our way around. We’re always up for a chat or a coffee or can at the very least make you feel welcome and connected at UC.
Visit the Kāhui Wairua | UC Chaplaincy page here or email John or Jane.
