Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Introduction
If you are going to university next year please read this.
In this blog post I wanted to write about all of the things I learnt during my first year of University.
And trust me when I say I learnt from way too many of my mistakes
Hopefully, through my experience, I will be able to help you become more prepared for what is in store.
Although a lot of what I will cover is centred around moving out and the things I learnt from that, I can guarantee you that there will be things in this post that people commuting to university can relate to as well.
With that being said I hope you enjoy this weeks blog post!
(I know it’s cliché but) Everything will be okay
The first piece of advice (although quite cliché) is that everything is going to be okay.
I am quite a socially anxious person and when I first moved to Uni I had all these negative thoughts circulating my head.
Was I going to be likeable enough to make friends? Will my roommates like me? What if I don’t make any friends? etc.
But I can guarantee you that everybody will feel a similar way (at different degrees of course).
You are going to be liked by your peers.
You are going to make friends.
Although I cannot guarantee that everyone will like you (I think that’s impossible) I can guarantee you that there will be people out there who appreciate your presence.
Everybody deserves people in their lives that make them feel valued and loved and you will find these people at university.
Everybody who first starts out is just as nervous.
It is a totally normal reaction to experiencing something new.
Everything will work out.
It’s normal to feel lonely
My next piece of advice is that it’s totally normal to feel lonely.
Before coming to university, this was the main advice I received but it never really sunk in until I felt it.
I cannot express how lonely the first couple of months at university was for me.
As someone who enjoys her own company and alone time, I was so confused as to why I was feeling that way.
The reason why I felt this was was because I basically isolated myself and didn’t go to many socials.
I wasn’t putting myself out there.
Although I liked being alone, I learnt that humans crave social interaction.
We are social creatures after all.
When I first moved to university and the first week of fun finished, I began feeling lonely.
And, this is totally normal.
I don’t necessarily think that loneliness is a bad thing, a lot of the time it is an indicator that something is missing.
In my case it was social interactions.
I think it’s also a good thing to embrace periods of loneliness, I find that the more I embrace it and look at it in a positive way the less I end up feeling lonely.
I guess you just get so used to your own company.
On the topic of loneliness there isn’t anything I can really say to help get rid of the feeling.
But, I will say to join a lot of socials and societies.
I just wanted to remind you that feeling lonely is totally normal during your first weeks at university.
Personally, I don’t think the period should be that long.
If it is I would recommend seeking guidance from the university (they always have counsellors or someone willing to help).
It’s okay to have no idea what you are doing
The next piece of advice I have is a little more broad but is still relevant and it’s that it’s totally okay to have no idea what you are doing.
Before we go to university we have this pressurising expectation that the subject we chose will lead to our future career and that the path we have chosen is set in stone.
But, we are young and if I’m being truthful a lot of us have no idea where we are heading.
And there is SOOO much pressure on us to know where our life is heading.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone asked me where I see myself in 20 years!
The only reasonable answer I could think of would be “Alive!”
I used to be somebody who planned everything out, but whenever I did I could never adhere to any of it.
I’ve always been interested in way too many things (to my detriment) and so I’ve always moved from one topic to the other.
During my first year I changed courses. So I’m being honest when I say it’s okay to change your mind.
I also know many people who changed career paths midway through.
Even after you graduate, your future job doesn’t have to revolve around your degree.
Your experience is what you make of it
The last piece of advice I have for you is that your university experience is what you make of it.
During my first year I remember complaining about so many things. I felt that the university experience was over-hyped.
But reflecting back on it now, I feel like I probably didn’t try as hard as I could to meet the expectations I had for what my university life should look like.
I should have joined more societies, went out with my friends more often, spent more time in the library etc.
There are going to be ups and downs throughout your time at university.
But, the worst thing you can do is to fixate on all the negative things.
I was letting myself ruin my university experience without even realising it.
So your university experience really is what you make of it.
Before you go…
I hope after reading this you have extracted some advice that will hopefully help you on your future journey through university.
Also congratulations to everyone for completing your exams and getting into whatever it is you wanted (University, apprenticeships etc.)
I would love to hear any of your thoughts on this post.
Even if you have already been to university, I would love to hear any advice that wasn’t here.
Thank you for reading!
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