1. Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

Matt: Hiii! My name’s Matt (He/They), I’m an incoming 2nd year Business and Marketing student and I’m also the current president of Surrey’s leading Neurodivergent society, Autisoc! I’m originally from Portsmouth, but I was raised in Brighton and jumped across the south to find myself here in Surrey! My time here so far has been incredible and I can’t wait to share it with you all (:

Seren: My name is Seren, and I am a 2nd year Biochemistry student and the Social Media Manager of AutiSoc (Surrey’s Autism Society). I always knew I wanted to study something “science-y”, as I have always been fascinated by science, and grew up watching documentaries and playing with science kits. I studied both Chemistry and Biology for A-Levels, along with Computing, and decided I wanted to study a combination of both sciences for my degree.

Matthew: Hello, I’m Matthew and I am going into my masters year having just completed a psychology undergraduate degree including a placement year. I’m now specialising in clinical psychology and mental health with the aim of using this learning as well as my own experiences as a neurodivergent, to help young neurodivergent individuals in a clinical role. I have always had an interest in psychology since being diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a child. Wanting to understand more about why I behaved and thought differently to other people at high school, I ended up taking psychology A-level, which led me to Surrey to study psychology.

Anonymous: I am a Mathematics Student and I am going into 4th Year

Giulia: Greetings. I’m Giulia. I’m a final year biological sciences student. I started university straight after college and got into Surrey as my insurance choice. My journey to university was quite typical. I was diagnosed with autism at about 10 years old and have slowly come to accept that I’m autistic after being embarrassed of it in my teenage years. I have also helped run the run the autism society for two years and am starting my third this year. My interests include rhythm games, drawing, reading comics and noise rock. I’m also learning how to play the guitar.

2.What did you find most challenging when you started university, and what helped you through it?

Matt: The change in atmosphere for sure. I was very used to living and studying around Brighton and I was used to the culture and what the overall “vibe” was. Now i know Guildford isn’t that far but even so, I was worried about how I’d adapt. But after a while, I realised that I didn’t need to adapt! I know the whole be yourself conversation may seem a bit overplayed, but when i projected my silly-goofy self to other people, I found the best friends i could ever ask for and found a community that trusts me enough to guide them. Those people made Surrey feel like a 2nd home, and with a bit of confidence, and a smidge of luck, I’m certain you’ll find your people too. (Maybe at Autisoc!!!)

Seren: Something I really struggled with at first was the fact that everything was new, and I really struggle when I haven’t got something familiar to “fall back on”, which was especially tricky during the chaos of Fresher’s Week.

During my free time I enjoy crafting, so I joined in with some of the quieter sessions during the week to socialise with new people in a calmer environment, and chatted with my flatmates whenever I saw them, as they were the ones I would be living with. I also joined two societies - one for fitness: Lacrosse, and one for socialising: AutiSoc. Here I felt most comfortable and grew my confidence, as it makes it significantly easier to talk to other people who are similar to you/have similar interests.

Matthew: When I first came to Surrey, the hardest part was making friends and settling in. I find meeting new people difficult and I was  nervous about living at university away from home for the first time. I found that establishing a routine of going to lectures and forcing myself to get involved in university life was key. This led me to making friends with people on my course and making an effort to get to know my flatmates helped living in halls much easier.

One thing that made a  massive difference to my university experience was discovering AUTISOC, the university's neurodivergent society, which I am now Vice President of. Meeting fellow like minded neurodivergent students meant I was able to settle in and be part of that community

Anonymous:  Upon joining university, I was worried I wouldn't be able to easily make friends or find people I could be comfortable around. However, I met someone on my course who convinced me to come to a society session with them and that is how I made many of the friends I have now who I wouldn't be here without.

Giulia: While not exactly autism related, I have dealt with OCD since 2021 and the summer before I started university was particularly bad for OCD. At the start of uni my OCD was slowly getting better but I still struggled in the first few months. Back then I was also less patient with others and had a habit of getting angry easily, which lead to considering another student at the university as my enemy. I realised at the end of my first year this was immature and not a good mindset for the future. I struggled to make friends at the start and felt lonely. I did make friends at uni in my first semester however, most of which I’m still friends with today. Becoming a society signatory in my second year made making friends far easier as I had to talk to everyone in the society.

3.What support or adjustment has made the biggest difference to your university experience?

Matt: My Personal Tutor (Julia) was a lifeline for me. When I had some personal and accommodation related issues around half way through my first year, she went above to improve my time at uni and provide emotional support when I really need it.

Your PT is always there for you to make studying and living at uni way easier. Don’t take them for granted!!!

Seren: I was fortunate to have an early move in date, which meant that I had a couple of days to acclimatise to my new space before everyone else arrived for freshers. It gave me more time to make my room feel like home. I’d also recommend applying to the DSA if you’re eligible, as the hardware provided and mentoring/study skills support really help during stressful periods. 

The biggest difference, however, I think has just been the support I have received from talking to my lecturers about what’s been going on. It did feel scary at first, but once I spoke about how I was feeling about starting uni, and what extra support might look like for me, I felt a lot more at ease, and when I did need that support the staff understood exactly what that meant, which allowed me to take part in labs and lectures while still feeling comfortable.

Matthew: The adjustments that for me made the biggest difference was being able to access the support of both a mentor and a study skills tutor for one hour a week.

My mentor kept me on track academically but always had time to listen to other aspects of university and gave me great advice about my social life whenever I needed it, helping me to navigate some of the most difficult moments of my university journey.

My study skills tutor was also incredibly supportive, helping me with areas I found challenging academically but also becoming someone I could talk to about all aspects of life.

Anonymous: The Surrey Support system has been very helpful in answering very important questions I've had when dealing with other complicated issues.

Giulia: I received wellbeing mentoring as part of the DSA. This helped me as it meant I could talk to someone if I felt stressed or anxious. I also received study skills mentoring which helped me manage my coursework in the second year as I had a lot of projects due in the same week. I also receive extra time in my exams at university. I did not receive this throughout the rest of my education. Extra time made my exams feel far less stressful when I take them and gives me time to check my work as I am prone to making small mistakes.

4. What's one piece of advice you'd give to a student who's just starting at Surrey?

Matt:  Don’t sell yourself short! Starting out somewhere new, especially being Neurodivergent, can be tough, and it does have its moments. But don’t beat yourself up. Take things as slow or as quick as you like, because i can guarantee they’ll be others like you regardless of what you decide. You’re gonna be amazing, that i do know for sure, so enjoy it while you can and good luck!!

Seren: Firstly, if you don’t think that you’d enjoy the traditional Fresher’s Week experience (e.g. clubbing, loud music) it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the week - there are so many more events during the day that you will probably enjoy. Secondly, ideally join societies that align with your interests/your identity. If it’s a sport or activity, don’t be put off if you’re not a pro - for many people it’s an opportunity to try something new and meet people who enjoy the same thing.

Finally, if you don’t make friends during the first week of uni you have plenty of time to do so. A lot of my closest friends were people I met further into the term, so there’s no need to panic

Matthew: One piece of advice I would give to new students joining Surrey is to just get out there and find your people. It can feel very isolating when you first arrive at uni. You need to get out of your room and meet new people, which isn’t something that everyone finds easy. However having good friends and a social life makes the whole university experience feel less daunting as you become an active part of the Surrey community. For me finding and joining Autisoc led me to meeting some of my best friends, but there are so many societies at Surrey where you can meet like-minded people who enjoy similar interests to you -  and you never know, you might just end up making great friends along the way.

Anonymous: For students starting at Surrey, I would say that joining societies, even if you just use their online servers and group chats and can't attend in person sessions, is a really good way to make friends and find other people to talk to who you might have things in common with.

Giulia: Attend student societies. The people there also want to make friends and might also struggle with making friends. While I found making friends on my course harder than making friends at societies, I eventually made friends on my course in my second year and found this to make some of my modules more enjoyable as I had friends to spend time with on the two field trips in my second year.

A massive thank you to AutiSoc for their member's contributions for this piece- from personal insights to helpful tips for incoming students, their contributions highlight the importance of student voice and community. We hope you find their advice useful and that it helps you feel welcomed, supported and ready for the new academic year!

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Did you know we have a Welcome Craft & Chat Event? Join AutiSoc and the Network for a fun craft & chat event where you can ask questions to current AutiSoc members, get to know other new students and take part in some fun crafts. Find out more here.