Yes this is probably going to be the average reflective 'oh my god look who I've become now' post university blog post. Am I ashamed? No. So sit down and enjoy these next few minutes of post uni bliss and advice.
When I went to Uni three years ago I was a relatively shy, naive and sheepish 18 year old who had been having a pretty tough few months. In the five months leading up to September and the big move I had been struggling with undiagnosed IBS and wheat intolerance. You might question, what has this got to do with anything? Well my dears let me tell you. I should have been going out with my friends. I should have been drinking stupid amounts of alcopops because
that's what you do when you're 18. I should have been enjoying the freedom that finishing my A-levels bought on. But no. My body was shutting down. I couldn't absorb any nutrients from food. I couldn't eat anything without being in constant pain. I was exhausted, pale, sick and every muscle hurt as my body devoured itself. I had become a total hermit with no idea how to communicate with the outside world. So when University came along, I was still in recovery, had no idea how to speak to new people and was about to face the toughest three years of my life. Terrified? You bet.
There's no question about it University was
hard. When people talk about the big jump from GCSE's to A-levels, it's an even bigger leap into life at Uni. After being spoon fed information at school, when our first assignment came along and our lecturers just gave us a topic and said write 3000 words on this I was stunned. What was the syllabus? What four things were they looking for? How the hell was I going to pull 3000 words from a single word topic on a book I hadn't even read. Well friends, a lot of research (google books is your friend), actually reading the bloody book and a meeting with my tutor I managed to write an essay. Did I do well? Hell no. Did I learn? YES!
After the year of desperately trying to navigate myself to a lecture room across campus at 9am after a night out drinking 'triple blues' (nope. Still don't know what they are, thanks Sobar), second year had finally arrived. I'd moved into a house with my flatmates from first year and had fully ploughed through the reading list for the coming semester. I was prepared. Or so I thought. It probably wasn't until about week 5 of Semester 1 that it actually dawned on me THIS YEAR COUNTS. Shit. Did I have less nights out in second year and more nights in reading and studying for seminars? No probably not. Did I work my bum off in the day so that I earned some freedom to paint my nails, devour netflix and drink wine from a mug in the evenings? You betcha.
Then final year rolls around. The dreaded final year. Honestly, yes it was hard but by this point in your life (if you've done the work) it's only a little step up from second year. Working an extra hour in the evenings, actually going to lectures and not drinking stupid amounts and instead having a raclette evening with your housemates will not only help reduce the stress levels but actually make you enjoy what you do. I'm not saying that studying rakes and libertines of the fifteenth century was the most interesting thing I've ever done, but actually it wasn't half bad.
At the moment this is all sounding horrible. And yeah it pretty much was. But it was also fantastic. I have met the most incredible people over the past few years, coursemates and lecturers included, who have inspired me and continue to do so every day. Soppy right? You might have to deal with some mould, some slugs and some absolute knobs along the way but without a doubt University is the best decision I ever made. I'm not only a confident, strong and well rounded person now, but I also think I'm better. University changed me into a better person with goals and friendships that, without it, I would struggle to understand. So yeah. Thanks Uni.
I realise that for many University can be an incredible daunting and scary experience but if you think it's right for you, jump right in. Go to society meetings. Get a new hobby. Meet some incredible people. Drink or don't drink, just go out and have fun. Do the work. Don't be scared. You'll be awesome.
So there we have it. In a month I will officially become a graduate of the University of Southampton with a 2:1 degree in English. Boom.
disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.
