Things I Learnt at University

As I pack up my life ready to head back to university for one last year, I've started to look back at what I've learnt over the past two and what I would pass on to future freshers. I think university is a different experience for everyone, for some it might be about making new friends, for others it might be about having new experiences, finding yourself or simply learning more about something you're passionate about. Perhaps it's all of the above or it might be something completely different. I went to university with the idea in my head that I would be out every night, drinking my own weight in Malibu and dancing my way through every club in Manchester. What actually happened was quite the opposite. I spent a lot more time in the flat in my pyjamas watching endless boxsets than I did on nights out and I don't regret it in the slightest. So without further ado, here's a few of the things I learnt at university.




1. It's ok to miss home. I always felt a bit silly for missing home when I first started. I almost felt like I should be this totally independent person that didn't care whether they were away from their family or not but that just isn't me. I found it difficult to adjust to being away from home at first and the first few days back after Summer holidays I always find really tough. This soon goes away once you start to meet new people and get involved in everything that your university has to offer and you'll find that holidays come around A LOT quicker than expected. Even in my third year I still miss home occasionally (and not just for the free food and a mum to do my washing).

2. Organisation is key. Whether it's printing off work in advance or getting on top of a project early, I found that once I got my timekeeping and organisation running smoothly, everything else seemed to fall into place. I've always been very much a "I'll do it the night before" girl, something that I found incredibly difficult to carry on with at uni, especially towards deadlines and the end of the year. Some people are brilliant at landing on their feet and doing everything the day before but I'm just not one of those people. And with the nature of my course (Graphic Design) sometimes it's just physically impossible to get everything done in such a short frame of time. Back up everything. Oh, and the printers will ALWAYS break down just before a deadline. Trust me.

3. Things change. One of my biggest fears when going to university was losing my school friends and not seeing them as regularly, it just seemed inevitable. However, you'll find that the friends who you're closest to and you want to keep in touch with, you will. You don't have to be messaging them every day to remain close and when you do see each other you'll just have even more to talk about and catch up on! Having said that, there are people you may lose touch with. I've found that I drifted from people I used to be incredibly close with and as much as I blamed myself for not staying in touch, it was no one's fault, these things happen in life. People change and you change, it's only natural.

4. Time is fleeting. So enjoy it while it lasts. I've never had 2 years go so quickly in my entire life and I don't expect any less from my last year. So enjoy it while it lasts because after this it's out into the big wide world. The thought of finding a proper job and eventually moving out of my parents house is a daunting one, so I'm just going to enjoy this last bit of freedom while I can before I have to be a responsible adult.

I hope you enjoyed this slightly different post. If you went to university, what did you learn?