Students Reflect

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First year students reflect on academic year

Friday, 20 June, 2025

As the academic year draws to a close, three BSU students reflect on a year full of change, growth, and opportunities.

Anna, a Creative Media student, living on campus, described her first year as a year of many new experiences:

“It's hard to put into words how incredible first year has been. I've met so many different people through my course, accommodation, and societies, and made so many friends. I can't think of any other place where you can experience so many new things all at once, other than first year. It's been a little bit overwhelming in places, adjusting to a new place and routine, but I've also never felt so supported along the way."

Moving to Bath from a small hometown was a huge adjustment, but one she felt she needed.

Describing how her confidence has grown, she reflected:

“I came to BSU from a small rural village and I didn't have any experience with city life or living alone. Towards the start of the year I was too nervous to venture into Bath on my own, and now it's something I do to unwind multiple times a week! I've also met so many amazing people that have boosted my confidence in making friends and socialising in ways I could never have imagined just one year ago. All these experiences have made me a braver and stronger person.”

Living on campus, in Gardens, also allowed Anna to experience meeting new people, with the housing comprising a maximum of 10 students. Here, her flatmates became good friends, and she credits them for a lot of the memories she made over the year. Alongside this, she was in a multitude of societies, including: Cosplay, Anime and Gaming.

“My stand out moments have been all the incredible society events I've been to. From exciting parties to relaxing movie nights, so many have become core memories. Of course, the people I spent those moments with are what truly made them special. I'd also like to mention some amazing moments I had with my flatmates. The academic year starts very close to my birthday, and they surprised me with balloons when we first moved in, even though we'd never met in person yet! We also had an unforgettable Christmas dinner as a flat.”

Starring in our Christmas campaign video, ‘Home from Home’, Anna and her flatmates in Oak C gave an insight into their genuine dynamic, and new Christmas traditions as a flat, having only met a few months prior.

Looking forward to the next year, Anna describes:

“I’m very excited for the next academic year. The course modules I've selected sound incredibly interesting, and I'm going in with all the great people I've met in first year too. I'm also excited to be a society committee member in the next academic year, and help create all the amazing opportunities that were my biggest highlights this year. Bring on September!”

Oli, another first year student, has been a part of the first cohort of the Sports Media Course, which has presented exciting opportunities so far.

“One of my stand out moments was working with Laura Dees, who is a Winter Olympic Bronze Medallist. Me and my two course mates were asked to make a retirement video for Laura in April. It was great to hear her story and what challenges she faced in her career.”

Having taken this initiative and passion for Sports Media into the professional world with Bath City FC, Oli commented:

“Over first year, I’ve created foundations for the next two years of studying, but also learnt skills from some heavily experienced people that I can use use in work after university.”

Reflecting on his personal growth and development from before joining university, to now, he said:

“I am way more independent compared to the start of the year. I didn’t know what to expect going into university and, to be honest, I was a bit nervous. However, as the year has progressed, I’ve learnt so many skills and it has definitely made me a better person.”

For Tommy, Drama (Musical Theatre) student, the majority of his first year centred around theatre and performing arts. Alongside his course, Tommy decided to join the Musical Theatre society, who have helped him meet more like-minded people, and open performance opportunities.

“I’ve been able to form an extremely close friendship group where everyone shares the same interests. Joining a society really helped me feel as though I belonged at BSU. Musical Theatre massively helped to boost my confidence and make me feel as though I was part of a caring community.”

Living on campus played a major role in Tommy’s social and academic life. Tommy took full advantage of the campus life, explaining:

“My accommodation room was so much bigger than I was expecting, which was a major help in my first year as I could use it socially, inviting people round, and I had a good amount of room to practice for my course!"

Accessing public transport links has also been a huge contributor to Tommy’s first year experience. Visiting nearby Bristol, or the scenic surrounding areas, has been a new cultural experience.

“Access to means of travel has been great as well, as I’ve easily been able to visit Bristol on multiple occasions and also easily get to places such as Cheddar and Cardiff to go on nights out or meet friends at other universities or even sightsee. Overall, I’ve loved my first year at BSU.”

Are you looking to start your own journey at BSU? Check out our course pages to see where your next chapter could start.