OPINION - Getting ready to leave home to go to university was one of the scariest things I've ever done, like the feeling of being pushed on a swing for the first time as a child.
I had just received my matric results and all my things were packed up a week later.
My family was there with me at university before the first week. But as soon as they left, I felt this extreme loneliness, like my first day of Grade One, but more real this time.
I cried when I thought my roommate was asleep or whenever I was alone in the room.
In that first month I felt like I wasn't good enough to be there, as if I was back at high school, not understanding maths problems in class.
I was so cautious with everything I did.
The number of decisions I had to make for myself every day was also overwhelming, from what I wore to what I was going to eat each night.
In my second month at university, I started getting closer to people. People I now call my friends.
As we started developing our friendships, we were able to let our guard down and I stopped being so overly cautious.
They told me they had felt the exact same way I did in their first month there. They also felt lonely, had imposter syndrome and regularly got overwhelmed, just like me.
This made me realise I wasn't alone in how I felt. It was like bonding over your favourite musician with someone new.
Other people were fighting the same battle as I - they were just better at hiding it.
So the most important advice I can give the matrics of 2025 is that in life you will be scared, doubtful of your abilities, and overwhelmed, but just know that, like me and many others, you aren't going through it alone.
You will grow from it and thrive in the world.
*Kirsti Hunter is a third-year BA communications student at the North-West University. She originally lived in Mossel Bay.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Group Editors and its publications.
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