BY NICOLA HARE
So, it’s been a
week since the worst day in the history of education: a-level results day.
Until this day, I don’t think there’s been an occasion that has been so
daunting and nerve-wracking. I remember the night that led to the dreaded day,
my friends and I had decided to gather in one house until the morning before
our fates were revealed. Some of us were lucky to have gotten the university of
our choice and others were not but we were all left with one question after the
excitement had died down: what next?
Coming from an African household, university
had been decided for me long before I even understood what it was. Watching TV
shows and movies created very different ideas in my mind about what this next
step was going to be like. I was leaving my family, friends that I’d grown up
with and the one thing that had been so secure for 18 years: home. I’m not sure
really, when it dawned on me that the journey that I was about to embark on was
my own. Perhaps it was the packing of my clothes, saying goodbye to my friends
and neighbours, the drive to Warwick or the moment my family stepped into the car
and went home without me. There I was: nervous, anxious but utterly excited for
what was to come.
My top tips are
not a list of ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’, I feel like university is such a personal
experience; your journey is bound to different from mine. What I can say
however is that I do wholeheartedly believe that university is what you choose to make of it. There is some bias as
I write this article because I’ve loved every moment I’ve had at university. My
list is not a guideline of what to do and not to do but rather the things that
I encourage to ensure that you make the most of an experience of a lifetime.
So here are my ‘top tips’:
Budget. I’ll be the first to admit that even I haven’t grasped
this. I had such a plan before university. I’d calculated how much I’d spend a
month and truly, I’d managed to convince myself that I would stick to it. When
loan drops, it’s easy to lose your mind a little but you must be smart with
your spending. Budgeting helps with preventing cash loss, it can help you
notice where you’re spending most of your money and it can help you save. With
all that being said, I believe in memories and so I encourage that you budget
for an expenditure called: living.
These three or four years are your years of complete independence, the years of
utter freedom and so, one must live like they are free. Now, I’m not saying go
crazy but I am saying, leave room to spend on memories because aside from your
degree, this is all you’ll leave with once you graduate.
Be open to meeting new people. Until this moment, we have grown up
with our friends being chosen for us; whether that is because of family or because
you were forced to spend five days of the week together at school. University
is the first time where you have control and freedom over those that you choose
to surround yourself with. The thing is, these people aren’t going to magically
appear at your door and they’re not necessarily going to be easy to find but
you must be open to meeting new people, different kinds of people. There are people that you’ll meet that will
change your life for the better or they could be seasonal. Regardless, I’m a
believer that every encounter we have with a person, teaches us something new
about life or ourselves and so join societies and be willing and open to
encounter different people.
Use your voice. It’s easy to blend. There are hundreds
of people in your course/society and I understand that it can be nerve-wracking
but you must understand the importance of using your voice. Understand that
university is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and so again, it is what you
choose to make of it. If you have something to say or an idea to share then be bold, take charge and believe that you
also have a valid point to put across. Do not be afraid of stepping forward
because this is no time to think of others, the opportunity and the experience
belongs to you alone and so, you must be bold.
Read. The thing about university is that in all the reading
that is expected of you, you forget the reading that you should do for you. The
library is packed with books about anything and everything. The knowledge that
you could gain in the years you spend at university could change a lot of views
and opinions you’ve held. Discussions and debates can occur with your friends
because of the texts that you choose to read. I encourage you to browse and be
selective in your reading. I admit that I’m only learning this now but I wish
that I had come to this revelation a long time ago.
Finally, embrace university. As I’ve said, I
believe that university is what you choose to make of it. I encourage you to
embrace the opportunity to learn about yourself and the world around you, to
grow mentally and emotionally and meet people that you otherwise wouldn’t meet.
I look around at my dearest friends and realise that had it not been for
university, our paths would’ve never crossed but to imagine a life without them
now, is almost impossible. So, I encourage that you embrace the difference and
change of university. Allow it to teach you things that you never knew about
yourself. Allow the experience to change you, for the better and believe that
at the end of your experience, you would’ve grown as a person.
University is
an exciting experience, if you allow it to be. Things aren’t always going to be
easy, there are going to be days where you just want to go home and that is
fine. You’ve worked tirelessly and awaited results day, you’ve done the hard
bit and now it’s time to be open to this new chapter in your life. It is time
to embrace change and growth, for the better and I encourage you to write a
diary perhaps, track your progress because you will be amazed at how much you
grow at university.
And on a final
note; congratulations, you’ve made it.
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