Another year older, another year (supposedly) wiser. My first year of university is coming to an end and it has been everything I wanted it to be. It’s not been what I expected, but it has been fantastic. Coming from A levels, I didn’t know how I was going to cope with the step up. But now, this seems ridiculous. Going from full days of lessons to ten hours of contact time a week was actually a massive step down in intensity. In first term, I had so much time that I didn’t know what to do with myself. My course struck the perfect balance between being intellectually challenging and not being exhausting, leaving me with enough energy to go to Cheesys
every week. Of course, it helps knowing that this first year doesn’t mean anything – although this can be somewhat demoralising at times. But in my case, knowing that I am exclusively studying my chosen subject gives me a sense of pride which I never felt at A level.
The most surprising thing about this experience has been how the completely bizarre becomes commonplace and unquestioned. Here, things completely unacceptable back in the real world are taken for granted, whether these are the unusual culinary choices, sleeping patterns or recreational habits we students have adopted. Now, if I were to see someone eating cold baked beans out of the can at four in the morning, the thing that would surprise me most would be their use of cutlery. Of course, this attitude is necessary to survive Fresher’s week and, I’m hoping, university as a whole.
Whilst it leads to some odd lifestyles, it also leads to a lot of acceptance, and this has to be one of my favourite aspects. No matter who you are or what you want to do, there is a place and a group with whom you can do it. The biggest downer about Uni is the debt. As an English student, I cannot count the number of times I have heard the phrase “We pay nine grand for this?!” As young adults suddenly burdened with financial responsibility, the constant reminder of that £9000 price tag is somewhat terrifying. Yet it’s easy to put it aside and leave it for future you.
Although going into second year is exciting, I can’t help feeling that the loss of my safety blanket of “it’s only FIrst year” could be problematic.<span style=”color: #008000;”>
I can only hope that now I know how university actually works, the next year will be just as enjoyable and somewhat less confusing