MY UNIVERSITY FIRST IMPRESSIONS // I’ve been here for 6 months and I don’t want to go back!

Hey guys, welcome back to my blog! Today I’m getting a bit more serious and talking about my first impressions of University! Full disclosure, 2018 was a crap year for me and starting Uni in the middle of that wasn’t the best timing, but today I’m mostly just talking about my classes and my actual experience at my University.

So, I’m writing this blog post just because I want to have this written down so I can go back and read this once I’m finished at Uni, but I also want to talk about my experience because I’m sure one or two of you guys is going into Uni/College soon or has been through this too!

As you guys may or may not know, I’ve had a pretty hectic year. I started at Uni (in July) so basically, I started in the second third of the year (Trimester 2) instead of starting in February – this was due to mental health reasons. It wasn’t an issue for me, really because there are a lot of people who defer and start part-way through the year!

I also had some family issues, as one of my brothers was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and was in and out of the hospital for the last 6-ish months of the year. But, hey he’s going strong so far, so there’s a positive!

And, what I learned from this is, it’s okay to defer, a lot of other people do it! And, don’t do intensive courses (you do the same amt of work in half the time) if you have other things going on. I did two in my third trimester while one of my younger brothers was finishing his time at primary school and my other brother was in and out of the hospital. Basically, doing intensive courses is really helpful but also really stressful so try and have available free time!

So, I’ll be honest my experience so far has been mostly just been a whole hectic mess of family stuff, and my school-life has just consisted of me being stressed and bus trips, school, another bus trip! I haven’t really spent much time on campus unless I had a class and I’ve mostly avoided cafes.

In terms of classes, I’ve done 5 so far and I’ve decided my majors for my Bachelor; Literary Studies & Media Studies. I’ve done one media class which I really enjoyed, but didn’t like the movies or teachers for! And, the rest of my classes have pretty much been me just attending and barely paying attention because I definitely get more tired throughout the year and my attention span definitely dwindles as well!

TIPS & TRICKS

• Take a lunch if you can! It’s so easy to spend money!
• Make a friend or two  – if there’s someone in a few of your classes talk to them!
• Don’t pack too much in your bag & only take what you need – I avoid taking my laptop and usually only pack a book, notebook and my lunch.
• Only do what you have to – if you’re stressed then do your readings and make sure you’ll have everything done on time but don’t go overboard and sign yourself up for too many things!
• If you’re job hunting – try your school campus!
• Talk to your teachers (or email, if that’s easier) – they will do what they can to help you, just don’t leave it to the last minute
• Be honest with yourself and your lecturers/tutors – if you’re struggling or having any kind of issues (family, mental, physical etc.) let your teachers know. Even if it’s something like, you get anxious in classrooms, let your teacher know you’ll be leaving a few times in the lesson – they’ll be okay with it and they will do what they can to help you out!
• Most of your stress is in your head, just get everything over and done with and you will feel so much better!
• Don’t do more than 2 intensive courses – you won’t pass them otherwise!

GENERAL ADVICE

My biggest bit of advice is just to CALM THE F DOWN, but not too much! Don’t stress out until you’re making yourself sick or anything, but do try to be prepared! Read blog posts about what other people’s experiences were like and talk to your friends! Get your stationery together, grab a good notebook and some pens that you know you’ll use! For example, I have a fun Aquaman notebook and Star Wars pens which I bought because I love them and I know I’ll actually use them and not just let them gather dust in my backpack!

Also, and I mentioned this already, but I just wanted to re-iterate, take a packed lunch! Textbooks cost a bunch, plus travel/parking, so if you’re also buying food and drinks your weekly to monthly bill is going to literally skyrocket! Every now and then I’ll buy a drink or I’ll grab something from he Campus pharmacy, but I usually try to avoid buying anything on campus, and then I’ll just grab a banana at the shops near my bus stop on my way home for convenience and because it’s way cheaper!

ARE YOU STARTING UNI/COLLEGE SOON?

DO YOU HAVE ANY UNI ADVICE?

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