Overview

• EXTRA’s poll of 1,000 recent alumni found 95% were excited to start university, yet 80–81% wished they had known more about student life.
• Keeping up with social events surprised the most students as a day‑to‑day stressor at 34%, while 33% said managing finances was the toughest adjustment.
• Pre‑start worries were widespread, with 84% reporting overthinking and 95% saying nerves and to‑do lists dominated the weeks before arrival.
• Graduates’ must‑have kit highlighted doorstops, earplugs, laundry baskets, slippers, flip flops for communal bathrooms, and cold and flu remedies.
• EXTRA partnered with student wellbeing advocate Ben West, who urged simple coping tactics such as deep breathing, walking, audio distraction, chewing gum, and spending time with new people.