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What My First Year at Uni Taught Me

Starting university was a very weird experience and much different to what I expected. When I started uni, I was thrown straight into the deep end as a fresher and it was a little bit of a shock to the system. It was a complete fresh start, I didn’t know anyone there. It was terrifying but also extremely exciting. I definelty am not claiming to be an adult here but I am doing a lot of pretending to be an adult, so I thought I would share with you some of the things I have learnt during this MASSIVE lifestyle change.


If you’re looking for a more practical guide, check out my other university posts.



ONE:

I can wear whatever I want, when I want and it’s great!

During my school years, I was put under a huge amount of scrutiny for my school uniform and in Sixth form for the clothes I chose to wear to school. (Just to make the point, I wasn’t going into school naked. Girls were basically shamed for having their shoulders out.) I really came out of my shell and for the first time developed my own style. After a few months I was comfortable and would experiment with different pieces and feel good with what I was wearing when I left the door. I wouldn’t need to worry about some rude, old teacher pulling me aside and shaming me in front of all my class mates. Or even a bitchy group of girls talking about me behind me behind my back. No one at Uni cares, they all have better things to do. It’s fab, I now have an even bigger love for clothes and style.


TWO:

Be Yourself! This sounds so cliché’ I know! But seriously, it’s a must. At university you find that you spend a lot of time with your friends, your flatmates; more than you would at home. For the first time you have this massive amount of freedom and all you want to do is be out and socialising and it’s great. Although, with time comes slip ups. The act you may be putting on will slip and eventually people will see the real you. What’s the point? I had a flatmate who I was very close with; I spent a lot of time with her. I thought she was this great, kind and fun person to be with. Come December things began to slip and her true colours came out. And if I am going to be honest, I really hate her now. It was upsetting because the person I was closet to was suddenly gone and in her place was this fake, mean and awful person who knew too much about me. The act that she had put one attracted a lot of friends, but then she lost them all when her true colours showed. Therefore, it is probably better to just be yourself to avoid all this unnecessary drama.


THREE:

Beans are the best!

You can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are delicious and healthy and really not expensive at all. Even the supermarket own brands are tasty. Top Tip: Beans and Chicken Nuggets are surprisingly tasty. You can basically eat them with everything.


FOUR:

You will get home sick at some point! No matter how old you are, how independent, homesickness will strike. I first felt it bad when I had tonsillitis. I was so sick, in so much pain, all I wanted was my Mum. It sounds pathetic but it’s true. That was at its worst. There were other times where I felt it, just not as bad. For example, towards Christmas time before I went home, I was getting food homesick. I was eat the same things every week and it was making me miss home. Things sometimes just get too much but it’s nothing a trip home can’t fix. As I lived quite a distance it was like a little mini break away.


FIVE:

I can get drunk on less than a tenner! And it’s Fabulous. A great skill to have as a student. You just have to find the best deals and best places to go on the right night. It’s so easy to find somewhere cheap to drink where students are about. Most clubs have specific nights for students where they have different music and put on drink deals. To get the best out of it you just have to look around and try out different places. It takes a while to find these places but you will eventually.

For me personally, I found it a lot easier to avoid clubs on a Saturday night as the majority of the time they put up their prices. This is when the locals go out, and I have found that locals have a lot of dislike towards students in general. Who knows why?

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