Boring flatmates, clubbing, and Hermione Granger

Welcome to First Year Diaries, our student blog series where we look back on the many different experiences of first year at Queen Mary. This entry was written by Alana, a law student graduating in 2025.

The photos used do not represent the people in the stories.

How old were you when you started your first year at Queen Mary? 18

Had you ever been to university before? No

Arrival Day

Tell us a bit about your life growing up

I was born in Kent, but I have lived in Wales since I was 3 years old. I grew up in a small town, where not many people went to University. I went to a public comprehensive school and I absolutely loved it. I wasn’t part of the “popular group” but I had the bestest friends. I was part of the music and drama department and spent most of my break times and after schools there playing 4 instruments and being part of the school shows. I was part of the school council from 11-18 and I was head girl in my last year. I always got high grades and knew I wanted to go to University but didn’t really know what to do.

My parents pushed me into law or medicine, and because of my horrific maths abilities, I did law. I would honestly say it was a bad decision going to university doing something I wasn’t interested in. Even though I have enjoyed the social aspect of Uni, I should have waited to go when I knew what I wanted to do. I now know I want to be a teacher, so doing law was a bit of a waste of time, but I do not regret going to university at all. I also specifically wanted to go to London for university. London was a magical place in my head, some of my best childhood memories were in this city and I knew I had to live here.

How did it feel when you got to campus for the first time?

I brought a ridiculous amount of stuff to university. My parents literally had to bring two cars worth of stuff, it was pretty insane. I had literal furniture with me. I was unbelievably nervous because I had never been on the campus before and because I had never studied law before. I literally had a nervous cough which stayed with me for about a month. I am the eldest child and the first in my family to go to live in a university campus, and so I really had no idea what to expect.

Which hall of residence did you live in?

Creed Court

Did you start unpacking as soon as you got to the room?

I am such an organised freak, I unpacked as soon as I got into that room. It took me three days. I obviously met up with people and went to fresher events within that time, but that just shows the extent to the amount of stuff I brought.

Tell us about meeting your first new flatmate

I’m not going to lie, my flatmates first year were boring. They barely talked and when they did it was very basic conversation. However, I was lucky enough that flat opposite had wonderful girls in it, and I am still living with those girls now.

What did you do in the evening?

I went for a farewell meal with my parents and grandparents and then I met up with a girl I found on a Creed Court group chat who lived opposite me. That’s how I met my best friends who I still live with today. We went to the freshers opening event and it was really fun.

How were you feeling when you went to sleep that night?

I’m not going to lie, I cried. Even though I had the best day and met some amazing people, it was the first time I had ever lived away from home and London is so far away from my little town in Wales. I definitely questioned whether I had made the right decision coming to London, and university in general, but that feeling only stayed for a few days. I came to realise that London was amazing and University was even better than I ever imagined.

Freshers Week

Describe freshers week at Queen Mary in one word:

Exciting

What did you get up to?

I spent a lot of time with the girls across the hall from me. We went clubbing and explored London together which was so fun. We all did law so we went to some law society events and A LOT of student union events. I absolutely struggled with homesickness but so did everybody, and so I felt like it was easy to get over it when everyone was.

How did you feel when the first day of classes was looming?

I was quite excited to start my classes because I really didn’t know what to expect. When they did start though I felt like I didn’t know how to write notes. I had never been to a lecture before, and had never done self studying so i found that aspect difficult, but after a week or two those teething issues were gone.

The First Week of Classes

What was your very first class/lecture like?

I felt very intimidated mainly because a lot of the other people in my classes had done law for A-Level, and some had even done other degrees. I had never been to a lecture before and so didn’t really even know how to take my own notes, and it was very overwhelming. My flatmate who was an American exchange student was on her 3rd year of university and introduced me to One Notes and showed me the best way to make notes in class and since then I have been doing that exact method ever since. The worry only lasted a few weeks though, after a few weeks I was caught up and was on the same level as those in my class that had done law before, and felt confident with my studies.

Did you meet any memorable people in your classes?

All of my friends I had made across the hall from me were all in Law too so most of the classes I was able to attend with them. However there was this one girl I sat next to in one of my classes that was exceptionally bright and knew the answer to every single question. She read ahead multiple weeks and she was always on top of everything. I admired her so much and quickly became friends with her.

One Year On…

How did your feelings about your classes change with time?

Classes got so much easier. Especially in first year, after a few weeks I was on track with everything and was on the same level as those who did law for a level. Before I used to stay quiet in my classes because I didn’t want to be wrong, and because I had never done law before. Now, I still need help at times, but my classmates probably hate me because I am basically Hermione Granger in classes.

On the whole, what was your first year at Queen Mary like?

My first year was an overly positive experience. I think it was a lot better than I expected, I was able to feel comfortable in London, and I made some amazing friends. I am still friends with the same 4 girls I met on the first day and I still live with them in third year. I changed massively from the beginning of my first year to the end. I completely came out of my shell, became a lot more confident in myself and a lot more independent. I started university wanting to go right back home, now I am dreading moving back with my parents after graduation.

If you had any advice for current or incoming first year students, what would it be?

Go out and explore London as much as you can. Don’t stay on campus, it can be so easy to forget you live in the best city in the world.