University: First Year Survival

For many of us, starting university is both an exciting and overwhelming chapter in our lives. New friends, freedom, responsibility even maybe a whole new location. It's hard not to create an image in your mind of what you hope to achieve. When I first found out where I would be heading, I instantly Googled images of the city and watched videos of other students' past experiences. Needless to say, I had created some pretty high expectations. New start, new life, etc. This was made worse by the fact that I completely hated high school...

I'm sure many of you reading this will have either felt like this or maybe still are, however, having finished one whole year at university, I've decided to make a list of things that I wish I had known before I left home to start my adult life in a completely new town.

1. Starting university doesn't necessarily mean new life.

I thought (naively) that once I started university I would be a completely different person, all my old problems I had when in high school would disappear. No. New environments doesn't just magically fix any personal annoying habits that you have. For example, I had this idea that I would suddenly become a motivated student with perfect attendance, high grades, lots of friends, and an outgoing personality. Nope, I was just as shy in university as I was before, and making new friends can be even harder at university as it doesn't exactly have the same dynamics as a classroom. You sit in a lecture and you listen, no group work (unless it's a practical) and no chatting. Just notes and listen. I found however, that university does offer an even better way of making friends than just sitting in a classroom together doing the same work; clubs and societies! Yes these are a lifesaver, I took one brave step and decided to join a club for a sport I had never done in my life and it paid off. I made a whole new circle of friends and have also learned something I never would have if it wasn't for university. I just wish someone had told me to do it sooner!

2. It's not all just sex, drugs, and rock n' roll.

This is such a common misconception. TV shows, especially in America, give this impression in movies that its all just red cups and alcohol. In reality, it's more of how Russell Howard puts it, which is asking your flatmate "Did you use my milk?" Yup, that's it. You find after the first few weeks your student loan starts to fade and your assignments start to grow (and also you begin to hate your flatmates because they take your stuff). People tend to forget that they are in university to get a degree. This is the main goal and if you lose sight of that you can end up very, very, VERY stressed at the end of terms. So this is my second piece of advice, party hard but work harder! (Also don't follow the advice I was given which was "First year, just party, second year, party with some work then third year, just work"). That was something I wish I hadn't been told before starting...

3. University can be lonely.

This somewhat ties into what I said before in my first point, however, I mean this more of when you first move into your halls/dorms. I moved in and of course I was living with complete strangers. My reaction to this was to close my door and keep to myself. DON'T DO THIS! These people are people you will be living with for a whole year, you see a lot of them and trust me you will avoid a lot of awkward, silent kitchen runs if you just talk to them from the beginning. Remember, everyone is in the same boat as you so just be brave and make the first step, hell who knows, you might meet your best friends for life there. Either way it will help you feel settled in the long run.

4. Get a diary and record every last assignment.

This is an important one. As I've mentioned, uni is not like high school, the lecturers are not your teachers. They do not chase you for work, they set a date for an assignment and you do the work for then, if you don't you are awarded zero marks and that is that. You can't go to them and ask them to open the link to assignments just for you because you forgot, won't happen. Most lecturers remind you of deadlines, but not always. It is essential to your degree that you stay on top of these deadline dates because every last thing you do in uni counts towards your final mark. Some are worth more than others, so recently I missed an assignment worth only ten percent but that could have been a lot worse, it could have been worth 50 percent, which would have basically meant that come the exam, I would have needed to get basically full marks to pass that module. I was lucky though, someone else might not be, so keep on top of those deadlines.

5. Budget, Budget, Budget!

Okay so this one I really wish I knew before I left. Many of us, when in school, depend on our parents for money. We also have absolutely no financial responsibility. At uni that changes, you are an adult now after all. People often say that money is in one day and out the next. Nothing has ever been more true. At uni, you suddenly have to start paying for things you never even thought about before. For example: rent, electric, internet, and food. Life can be made a lot easier, especially in your first year, if you just budget correctly. Otherwise, you might have to find a part-time job which just adds work on top of work and this is not ideal. However, there are ways the university can help if you do find yourself struggling so always do your research and make sure that you have exhausted all the options possible, because sometimes things happen and you need help. The uni is there so don't stress.

6. Finally, have fun!!

I know this article seemed to suggest uni is all doom and gloom but that's so far from the truth. Uni is an amazing experience but with everything in life there are cons. This article was just aimed to help those who may not be aware of the kind of problems new students may face, and hopefully they helped and you can now have an even better uni experience, because uni days are really the best days of your life!