Moving from Newcastle to Coventry

My name is Leila, one of the Reslife Assistants at Coventry University. In 2021 I moved away from Newcastle to Coventry for university. After a change of course in first year I am now in my third year. In this blog I will be writing my perspective of how it has been leaving home, moving away and tips on how this can help you move away from home. 

In 2020/21 I decided I would move away for university. After looking around I decided Coventry University would be the best choice for me. I liked the fact it was a small city where I could walk everywhere without needing a car and also I wouldn’t get too overwhelmed. I also really liked the university facilities and the accommodation. As I lived in Newcastle, which is around a 4-hour drive from Coventry, I knew I would have to move away. I made the decision that I would like to move away as I felt this would give me a new level of independence and was looking forward to making new friends in a new place, but I was also very nervous. I had the typical questions running through my head of what if I don’t make friends, what If I don’t like it, what if everything goes wrong? But I knew ultimately this was the right decision for me.

Before moving in I had joined some group chats for my accommodation, which was Bishop Gate, and spoke to a few people in my flat. This made me feel a lot more comfortable as I had spoken to some of the people, I would be living with and knew a little bit about them. As I had never moved away, and I didn’t know anyone in Coventry upon moving into my flat I was very scared. However, on my first night we were all having a movie night together, laughing, telling stories and it was really positive from there. I really enjoyed freshers and met people on my course I also got along with. Me and my flatmates continued to do flat nights out and day trips and I was constantly on the go whilst also enjoying my course. A few weeks in I wasn’t even thinking about home or what was going on.

However, there does come a time when freshers has settled, and you start to miss home. As I was so far this meant I couldn’t go home as regularly as others. Although I do feel like sticking it out really helped me adjust rather than going home often. I was worried my friends at home would forget about me and everyone would adjust to life without me. I found that to help this I would call my friends and let them know this, which led to them reassuring me. However, I also focused my energy on the many positives in Coventry and continued to put my all into my friendships and course both of which were a huge positive distraction.

Now I am in third year and will be going into my fourth year of living away from home. I am still enjoying it. It has not all been positive and does come with some difficulties which is only normal. There have been times I wished to be at home but at those times I would lean on the friends I have around me or FaceTime those from home. A lot of my worries were just that… worries. My friends from home constantly keep in touch and I always see them when I return. Moving away has offered me a new level of confidence I feel I never would have experienced if I had stayed at home. It has encouraged me to put myself out there, meet as many people as possible, do more on my own and handle difficult situations better. Moving away was a great decision for me.

So, if you are moving away from home, here are my top tips.

• First of all, remember your worries are normal. There are so many people in the same boat who are in the exact same position as you. Moving away from home can be a big thing but I hope my perspective has shown there are so many positives that can come from this.
• Remember to put yourself out of there when you arrive. Talk to everyone you can, go to every event you can go too, ask new friends to go for coffee, dinner. Friends are really important and can make you feel really at home when you are away.
  
• Make your room as homely as possible. Bring pictures and comfort items from your room at home. This can help you settle in and feel more at home.
  
• Try and stay in Coventry for the first few weeks. Going home often can make it difficult to feel at home in one place. Try and adjust to your new temporary home and stick it out if you can.
  
• Try and focus on the positives and all the exciting things that are to come rather than all the what ifs.
  
• Don’t be scared to reach out to those at home if your struggling. FaceTiming friends and family is always an option and just because your not there doesn’t mean they won’t want to be hearing from you. It is normal to worry and not everything has to be perfect.
  

Moving away is daunting and a scary experience. However, there are so many positives to it. It is a great way to step out of your comfort zone and prepare you for the future. It can offer you independence, confidence, social skills, organisation skills and so much more. I have no doubt in a couple of years you will be looking back at these times as some of the best and be so glad that you took the leap and moved away.

I can now say Coventry feels like a second home to me and is somewhere I have grown really fond of. I have my own life there away from home and then I can come back to my home life and enjoy that too. I hope this blog has helped you feel more comfortable and excited about moving away from home.

This blog was written by Residential Assistant Leila.