To me, my time at the University of Exeter has been one big, exciting (and slightly tiring) blur. It feels completely crazy that my time here has come to an end, that three years have passed by in what has felt like a short amount of time. But, simultaneously, my time here has felt like a lifetime. University has been so much more than an academic experience. Not only have I learnt how to adult (slightly, I’m still working on that), I’ve got to know myself in ways I never anticipated.
One of the most valuable things I’ve come to learn at university is learning to be alone. The reality of life is that you can’t always have a companion to go with you every step of the way, and going about my day to day life at university has helped me to become accustomed to this. Carving out an independent life for yourself is more rewarding than I ever expected.
The friendships I have made at university have also played such an integral part of the experience. I still live with some of the people I met in my first-year halls, and they have transformed from strangers, to flatmates, to friends, to a second family. That may sound completely cheesy, but it’s so lovely to have people to come back home to day after day who know you so well that you can unashamedly just be yourself.
Having a whole world separate from the stresses from my degree has been particularly valuable to me in third year, and I would highly recommend getting involved with as much as you can.
The friendships I’ve made along the way are also just as important. After joining Exeposé in second year and being on committee last year, I have discovered a whole new group of friends who share the same interests as me. Having a whole world separate from the stresses from my degree has been particularly valuable to me in third year, and I would highly recommend getting involved with as much as you can.
As I prepare to wave goodbye to Exeter, my housemates and I have collated a few little things we’d like to do (hiring some bikes and cycling down the Quayside when the weather’s good) and visit (there’s a whole host of restaurants I still want to try out) before we leave. However, I don’t think I have anything big left to achieve. Exeter has been my home for three years, and although it definitely hasn’t been plain sailing, I think my experiences have shaped the way I navigate the world around me. That’s certainly something I can hold on to long after I’ve left Exeter.
Waving goodbye to Exeter
To me, my time at the University of Exeter has been one big, exciting (and slightly tiring) blur. It feels completely crazy that my time here has come to an end, that three years have passed by in what has felt like a short amount of time. But, simultaneously, my time here has felt like a lifetime. University has been so much more than an academic experience. Not only have I learnt how to adult (slightly, I’m still working on that), I’ve got to know myself in ways I never anticipated.
One of the most valuable things I’ve come to learn at university is learning to be alone. The reality of life is that you can’t always have a companion to go with you every step of the way, and going about my day to day life at university has helped me to become accustomed to this. Carving out an independent life for yourself is more rewarding than I ever expected.
The friendships I have made at university have also played such an integral part of the experience. I still live with some of the people I met in my first-year halls, and they have transformed from strangers, to flatmates, to friends, to a second family. That may sound completely cheesy, but it’s so lovely to have people to come back home to day after day who know you so well that you can unashamedly just be yourself.
The friendships I’ve made along the way are also just as important. After joining Exeposé in second year and being on committee last year, I have discovered a whole new group of friends who share the same interests as me. Having a whole world separate from the stresses from my degree has been particularly valuable to me in third year, and I would highly recommend getting involved with as much as you can.
As I prepare to wave goodbye to Exeter, my housemates and I have collated a few little things we’d like to do (hiring some bikes and cycling down the Quayside when the weather’s good) and visit (there’s a whole host of restaurants I still want to try out) before we leave. However, I don’t think I have anything big left to achieve. Exeter has been my home for three years, and although it definitely hasn’t been plain sailing, I think my experiences have shaped the way I navigate the world around me. That’s certainly something I can hold on to long after I’ve left Exeter.
Lauren Geall
Third year English student and 2017/18 Print Lifestyle Editor
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