First things first, I was blessed with an amazing flat. We have shared some incredible times in our kitchen, dancing to music and laughing until we couldn't breathe in the small corridor that became my home. There were times when we struggled of course - 8 people confined amongst a communal kitchen and little corridor were bound to disagree at some point. But, I was lucky to have found friendships and overcome the problems that this new life flung at me. It was weird to adjust to living with new people of course, walking into a life I'd be sharing with strangers was terrifying. I'm a chatty, love-making-friends kind of person and I thought to myself, this is the first year of your life, don't go into it half-heartedly. I don't regret the choices I've made and the way I approached this new life; if I had walked into it timidly, afraid of making the wrong decisions, I can guarantee that I wouldn't have enjoyed this year as much as I have. In terms of catering, I was scared to fall into the 'pasta and noodles' diet everyone jokes about. It took some adjusting to (I was still used to thinking, well I wonder what time dinner will be, when really I was the one to be cooking!). I got into a shopping routine, planned my meals and wasn't scared to be adventurous and it all turned out great. Some meals, of course, weren't quite up to scratch and other times takeaway was far too tempting, but, I have found some amazing recipes to share with friends and flatmates and easy meals to whip up in a rush.
The work is definitely a step-up from A-Levels and College, and as much as I knew this would be the case, I'm still not sure I was entirely prepared. At first, it was hard to get to grips with, I hadn't written essays in over a year so, it took some time to warm up. Something I have learnt over my first year, not just from my experience but from those of my friends and fellow classmates is, if you love your course, your course will love you. I love what I'm studying and, even if something wasn't exactly my favourite module, I tried to engage nonetheless for the enjoyment I get from what I do. If you find yourself not enjoying what you're doing, then you aren't going to throw all your effort into it and therefore, the results won't show. Having seen friends dropping out for not engaging with their course, I can see how lucky I am to have found a course that suits me and makes me excited to pursue. I was, also, surprised at the deadlines and the way assessments take place. This might just be the university I attend, but the time between having enough information and seminar support to complete the assessment and the deadline is so short, something I was, luckily, able to adapt to. I have also found a great structure for essays and working routine that has eased me into each assessments and made them a lot less stressful than the beginning of the year.
When they say you make friends for life at University, they aren't lying! Living with, working with and seeing these people everyday encourages you to embrace each friendship you make and you share the most amazing, heartbreaking and unbelievable times amongst people from all over the country, some you thought you might never click with in the first place. University is not a place for prejudice, walking into the friendships and relationships I made with an open mind made my life so much easier and the bonds so much stronger. At the same time, I'm glad I've embraced new things I never thought I'd try. From alternative music night outs (definitely not my taste) to midnight adventures walking around the city, I found my spontaneous side, something I had forgotten in the mundane life of my gap year. If you can't do it now, when can you? University life has shown me to never take anything for granted and seize every opportunity that comes across my path.
So, I'm glad the life I imagined from University lived up to what I experienced since September. There were times where I laughed and of course, times where I cried, even times where I considered, is this the right path for me? I've learnt so much about myself and the person I want to be and I can't wait for the rest of my years here, amongst a group of friends I know I can never be without. So, well done Uni, you did well.
The work is definitely a step-up from A-Levels and College, and as much as I knew this would be the case, I'm still not sure I was entirely prepared. At first, it was hard to get to grips with, I hadn't written essays in over a year so, it took some time to warm up. Something I have learnt over my first year, not just from my experience but from those of my friends and fellow classmates is, if you love your course, your course will love you. I love what I'm studying and, even if something wasn't exactly my favourite module, I tried to engage nonetheless for the enjoyment I get from what I do. If you find yourself not enjoying what you're doing, then you aren't going to throw all your effort into it and therefore, the results won't show. Having seen friends dropping out for not engaging with their course, I can see how lucky I am to have found a course that suits me and makes me excited to pursue. I was, also, surprised at the deadlines and the way assessments take place. This might just be the university I attend, but the time between having enough information and seminar support to complete the assessment and the deadline is so short, something I was, luckily, able to adapt to. I have also found a great structure for essays and working routine that has eased me into each assessments and made them a lot less stressful than the beginning of the year.
When they say you make friends for life at University, they aren't lying! Living with, working with and seeing these people everyday encourages you to embrace each friendship you make and you share the most amazing, heartbreaking and unbelievable times amongst people from all over the country, some you thought you might never click with in the first place. University is not a place for prejudice, walking into the friendships and relationships I made with an open mind made my life so much easier and the bonds so much stronger. At the same time, I'm glad I've embraced new things I never thought I'd try. From alternative music night outs (definitely not my taste) to midnight adventures walking around the city, I found my spontaneous side, something I had forgotten in the mundane life of my gap year. If you can't do it now, when can you? University life has shown me to never take anything for granted and seize every opportunity that comes across my path.
So, I'm glad the life I imagined from University lived up to what I experienced since September. There were times where I laughed and of course, times where I cried, even times where I considered, is this the right path for me? I've learnt so much about myself and the person I want to be and I can't wait for the rest of my years here, amongst a group of friends I know I can never be without. So, well done Uni, you did well.
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