Things you wish you had known before starting university
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1. If you don't want to drink don't drink. If you don't want to become a steaming wreck, don't. If you do you'll feel a little dead inside for having given up some of your identity. Don't be put off if you're labelled as 'boring' for not going for a third pint.
2. It needs to be repeated. Do NOT let other people dictate what your university experience should be like. Whatever you want to do, do. Do not be deluded into thinking fresher's week is the best week of your life and if something doesn't live up then it's necessarily a disaster.
3. Go to as much stuff as possible. Find as much stuff as you like. Choose what you want to do and stick at it. Make friends in as many places as possible. Don't limit yourself to one clique.
4. Students are people and if you thought you left the cliques and bitching behind at A-level that's sadly not true. Don't get sucked into the gossip, don't let other people's lives occupy your own.
5. Find what you want to do in your course and pursue it relentless and unceasingly. Find what makes you tick.
6. Don't expect the lecturers to provide a spoon-feeding service but equally show an enthuisasm for your subject. Don't leave stuff till the last minute, don't treat your work with disdain or you'll always be left with wondering if you could have done better. Equally know when to back off and go to the pub/cinema/chill with a book/whatever.
7. Enjoy your time. To those who are going to their insurance, if you throw yourself into it, you will have just as much, if not more fan as you would have going to your firm, honestly promise.
8. I'll repeat it one last time. Don't become something you're not. I've seen all sorts of fakery - someone even inventing a fake middle name, someone trying to pretend to be working class because they were so ashamed of going to private school - it is YOUR time and university and you should make the most of it
2. It needs to be repeated. Do NOT let other people dictate what your university experience should be like. Whatever you want to do, do. Do not be deluded into thinking fresher's week is the best week of your life and if something doesn't live up then it's necessarily a disaster.
3. Go to as much stuff as possible. Find as much stuff as you like. Choose what you want to do and stick at it. Make friends in as many places as possible. Don't limit yourself to one clique.
4. Students are people and if you thought you left the cliques and bitching behind at A-level that's sadly not true. Don't get sucked into the gossip, don't let other people's lives occupy your own.
5. Find what you want to do in your course and pursue it relentless and unceasingly. Find what makes you tick.
6. Don't expect the lecturers to provide a spoon-feeding service but equally show an enthuisasm for your subject. Don't leave stuff till the last minute, don't treat your work with disdain or you'll always be left with wondering if you could have done better. Equally know when to back off and go to the pub/cinema/chill with a book/whatever.
7. Enjoy your time. To those who are going to their insurance, if you throw yourself into it, you will have just as much, if not more fan as you would have going to your firm, honestly promise.
8. I'll repeat it one last time. Don't become something you're not. I've seen all sorts of fakery - someone even inventing a fake middle name, someone trying to pretend to be working class because they were so ashamed of going to private school - it is YOUR time and university and you should make the most of it
Thank you for this thread.
Original post by cinosia
oh wow, so many things I wish I knew ... Where to begin?
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
Run out of +rep
will when i have more tho! great advice 
Original post by XxSophie01xX
You really have a wonderful way with words, and you've instantly made me feel better. May I ask what you studied?
oh ...
you're sweet I'm so glad it made you feel better! I had a bit of a mixed-up start uni-wise but I came out with a degree in English Literature, and will hopefully be pursuing a PhD in that area soon. Which just goes to show, you can have shaky beginnings and yet grow to be so obsessed with university and your subject that you NEVER LEAVE. 
Original post by Unununium
Run out of +rep will when i have more tho! great advice
will when i have more tho! great advice thank you! Not that I really understand what rep is but it does sound nice
Original post by Aeschylus
1. If you don't want to drink don't drink. If you don't want to become a steaming wreck, don't. If you do you'll feel a little dead inside for having given up some of your identity. Don't be put off if you're labelled as 'boring' for not going for a third pint.
2. It needs to be repeated. Do NOT let other people dictate what your university experience should be like. Whatever you want to do, do. Do not be deluded into thinking fresher's week is the best week of your life and if something doesn't live up then it's necessarily a disaster.
3. Go to as much stuff as possible. Find as much stuff as you like. Choose what you want to do and stick at it. Make friends in as many places as possible. Don't limit yourself to one clique.
4. Students are people and if you thought you left the cliques and bitching behind at A-level that's sadly not true. Don't get sucked into the gossip, don't let other people's lives occupy your own.
5. Find what you want to do in your course and pursue it relentless and unceasingly. Find what makes you tick.
6. Don't expect the lecturers to provide a spoon-feeding service but equally show an enthuisasm for your subject. Don't leave stuff till the last minute, don't treat your work with disdain or you'll always be left with wondering if you could have done better. Equally know when to back off and go to the pub/cinema/chill with a book/whatever.
7. Enjoy your time. To those who are going to their insurance, if you throw yourself into it, you will have just as much, if not more fan as you would have going to your firm, honestly promise.
8. I'll repeat it one last time. Don't become something you're not. I've seen all sorts of fakery - someone even inventing a fake middle name, someone trying to pretend to be working class because they were so ashamed of going to private school - it is YOUR time and university and you should make the most of it
2. It needs to be repeated. Do NOT let other people dictate what your university experience should be like. Whatever you want to do, do. Do not be deluded into thinking fresher's week is the best week of your life and if something doesn't live up then it's necessarily a disaster.
3. Go to as much stuff as possible. Find as much stuff as you like. Choose what you want to do and stick at it. Make friends in as many places as possible. Don't limit yourself to one clique.
4. Students are people and if you thought you left the cliques and bitching behind at A-level that's sadly not true. Don't get sucked into the gossip, don't let other people's lives occupy your own.
5. Find what you want to do in your course and pursue it relentless and unceasingly. Find what makes you tick.
6. Don't expect the lecturers to provide a spoon-feeding service but equally show an enthuisasm for your subject. Don't leave stuff till the last minute, don't treat your work with disdain or you'll always be left with wondering if you could have done better. Equally know when to back off and go to the pub/cinema/chill with a book/whatever.
7. Enjoy your time. To those who are going to their insurance, if you throw yourself into it, you will have just as much, if not more fan as you would have going to your firm, honestly promise.
8. I'll repeat it one last time. Don't become something you're not. I've seen all sorts of fakery - someone even inventing a fake middle name, someone trying to pretend to be working class because they were so ashamed of going to private school - it is YOUR time and university and you should make the most of it
top class roundup
I would advise people to think really carefully about who you choose to live with after your first year. I lived with two girls who did the same course, which was very different to mine. I found that they had a lot less contact time and less work than I did, which essentially left me a bit isolated form them as they spent all their time together and went out a lot more than I could. It ended up making me feel really lonely in the end and I spent a lot of my third year at home. So make sure that you are compatible with whoever you choose to live with and that you will all make time for each other, whatever the demands of your course.
1) Don't worry too hard about making friends in freshers. Everyone is in the same boat as you, and people will go out of their way to be friendly in the first few days, especially if you're living in a flat.
2) Freshers friends come, and often go - I have a good 20 names in my phonebook of people I met in freshers who I've just fallen out of touch with completely, not deliberately but just a question of not seeing those people often enough and forming other friendships quicker. However, don't make the assumption that people will only be your friend until freshers then drop you when they've found their feet; while this may have some truth, the very first girl I met on the very first night is by far one of my closest friends.
3) Don't become trapped within your flat. All too often, people in a flat will just hang out with each other and not bother to move in wider circles, and after a few weeks a sort of cabin fever can ensue. You were put in a flat randomly with these other people, you can't be expected to get on and hang out with every single one. Try and make friends with people in other flats earlier on, before people get locked in their comfort zone.
4) As I mentioned earlier, it's pragmatic to anticipate there will be times when there is flat friction. Just try and be as flexible and considerate as you can be when you're living with others, especially when there's a large number of you. If you're living with someone you really can't stand, it's only a year. A flat is not a contract for any future housing plans.
5) People change - some who you meet in freshers are not the same by the time reading week hits. A lot of people see university as a fresh start and a chance to reinvent themselves. Sometimes this falls flat and they revert to a past self, or sometimes they find that the time from home and the new self reliance is doing them some good. Either way, by the time second semester hits, it's not unusual for friendships to both deepen and lessen
6) People are a lot more laid back at university. You want to go drinking 5 nights a week? Cool. You want to go study instead? Fine. You're a virgin? Nice. You want have sex with half the block? Go for it. You're a working class miner's son but want to take up ballet? Noone is stopping you. But just because people won't object doesn't meant they won't comment. Reputations can be easily built, but if you're happy in what you're doing, you'll get more respect for staying true to yourself and people will quickly come round to your way of thinking.
7) University recognises you are an adult. This can be a double edged sword. While there's not much stopping you going out, partying and skipping lectures, the university will not spoon feed you. Lectures can be very dry, with little interaction, and little to stop you zoning out. It is your responsibility to learn the material, lecturers only let you access it. People who come from private backgrounds can sometimes have a few adjustments issues because there's not as much 'spoon feeding' or contact time. In my course I have 500 other people with me, I'm lucky if the lecturer even glances at me.
Everyone hits a stumbling block at least once over the course of university, even if they don't show it. Some adapt better to the lifestyle than others, it's just how it is. Don't be arrogant - noone cares if you got 5 A*s at A level, chances are you're living with someone who got 6. Be gregarious, be relaxed, and roll with the punches. Seek out opportunities, don't expect them to find you. Invite yourself to friends events. Knock on a flatmate's closed door with a beer for them. Don't be afraid to be a nerd! People are paying 4 grand a year to study their subject, everyone is a nerd about their course to some extent. It's not an uncool thing to be excited about your course modules. Never again do you have the same freedom that 1st year gives you. You are living in an environment full of like-minded people, with little responsibility. Make it memorable.
2) Freshers friends come, and often go - I have a good 20 names in my phonebook of people I met in freshers who I've just fallen out of touch with completely, not deliberately but just a question of not seeing those people often enough and forming other friendships quicker. However, don't make the assumption that people will only be your friend until freshers then drop you when they've found their feet; while this may have some truth, the very first girl I met on the very first night is by far one of my closest friends.
3) Don't become trapped within your flat. All too often, people in a flat will just hang out with each other and not bother to move in wider circles, and after a few weeks a sort of cabin fever can ensue. You were put in a flat randomly with these other people, you can't be expected to get on and hang out with every single one. Try and make friends with people in other flats earlier on, before people get locked in their comfort zone.
4) As I mentioned earlier, it's pragmatic to anticipate there will be times when there is flat friction. Just try and be as flexible and considerate as you can be when you're living with others, especially when there's a large number of you. If you're living with someone you really can't stand, it's only a year. A flat is not a contract for any future housing plans.
5) People change - some who you meet in freshers are not the same by the time reading week hits. A lot of people see university as a fresh start and a chance to reinvent themselves. Sometimes this falls flat and they revert to a past self, or sometimes they find that the time from home and the new self reliance is doing them some good. Either way, by the time second semester hits, it's not unusual for friendships to both deepen and lessen
6) People are a lot more laid back at university. You want to go drinking 5 nights a week? Cool. You want to go study instead? Fine. You're a virgin? Nice. You want have sex with half the block? Go for it. You're a working class miner's son but want to take up ballet? Noone is stopping you. But just because people won't object doesn't meant they won't comment. Reputations can be easily built, but if you're happy in what you're doing, you'll get more respect for staying true to yourself and people will quickly come round to your way of thinking.
7) University recognises you are an adult. This can be a double edged sword. While there's not much stopping you going out, partying and skipping lectures, the university will not spoon feed you. Lectures can be very dry, with little interaction, and little to stop you zoning out. It is your responsibility to learn the material, lecturers only let you access it. People who come from private backgrounds can sometimes have a few adjustments issues because there's not as much 'spoon feeding' or contact time. In my course I have 500 other people with me, I'm lucky if the lecturer even glances at me.
Everyone hits a stumbling block at least once over the course of university, even if they don't show it. Some adapt better to the lifestyle than others, it's just how it is. Don't be arrogant - noone cares if you got 5 A*s at A level, chances are you're living with someone who got 6. Be gregarious, be relaxed, and roll with the punches. Seek out opportunities, don't expect them to find you. Invite yourself to friends events. Knock on a flatmate's closed door with a beer for them. Don't be afraid to be a nerd! People are paying 4 grand a year to study their subject, everyone is a nerd about their course to some extent. It's not an uncool thing to be excited about your course modules. Never again do you have the same freedom that 1st year gives you. You are living in an environment full of like-minded people, with little responsibility. Make it memorable.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by cinosia
oh wow, so many things I wish I knew ... Where to begin?
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
Thank you. You've eased my worries significantly.
Funny thing is, I just happened to be listening to Beautiful by Eminem as I started to read your post. It had the curious effect of giving your words more impact.
Original post by jendra9311
mind if i print this one out?
Uni is your chance to live your life however you want. So don't let other people guilt you/force you into doing stuff you don't want to do. You'll probably have some friends who want to go out drinking every single night and keep asking you to come along. They're also the ones who will fail first year or, if they're lucky, scrape through by the skin of their teeth. Obviously you should be social with people, but you don't have to do everything - I've seen people dragged down by others to such an extent that they've gone out drinking and partying the night before an exam because they didn't want to say no (needless to say, they failed that exam).
Also - go to all your lectures and seminars etc. You're paying for them. Don't be one of those people who moans all year about how difficult the course is or how all the lecturers irrationally hate you, when the reason you find it difficult is because you don't actually do any work and never come to class.
Always remember why you picked your subject, it will really help your motivation if you know why you wanted to study the subject in the first place. The people who don't have any motivation for their subject are the ones who do badly.
Make friends with 2nd/3rd years. They can really, really help you out with advice, give you help, give you notes, tell you where they went wrong. They've just done your year and they know what you're going through.
^These aren't things that I necessarily struggled with, but from what I've seen of other people, I think it's useful advice.
Also - go to all your lectures and seminars etc. You're paying for them. Don't be one of those people who moans all year about how difficult the course is or how all the lecturers irrationally hate you, when the reason you find it difficult is because you don't actually do any work and never come to class.
Always remember why you picked your subject, it will really help your motivation if you know why you wanted to study the subject in the first place. The people who don't have any motivation for their subject are the ones who do badly.
Make friends with 2nd/3rd years. They can really, really help you out with advice, give you help, give you notes, tell you where they went wrong. They've just done your year and they know what you're going through.
^These aren't things that I necessarily struggled with, but from what I've seen of other people, I think it's useful advice.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by cinosia
oh wow, so many things I wish I knew ... Where to begin?
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
Wow..thank you so much for this. I feel better about uni now
You'll notice that almost all the advice you hear such as the highly rated one on the first page are all about Fresher's week and almost never about regular university life. Well, most people are going to be sociable on Fresher's week. Even the hermits of all hermits tend to go out at least a few times. Not that it comes easily, but everyone is nervous and tend to go along with the crowd. So I think it gets much more focus than it should.
The thing is that if you aren't a sociable person, you are not going to be able to keep this up all year. I was very social the first week and then gradually practically developed social anxiety from the stress of being around people so much. It went against my nature, and as much as I'd have liked to become effortlessly extroverted from forcing myself to go out and socialise all the time, it had the opposite effect.
Therefore, my advice is to make an effort, but stay true to yourself. It's one thing to say, "I'll make an effort to go out at least twice a week" as a nice goal to feel good about yourself, but forcing yourself to go out every night to get the "experience"everyone hypes up when it's making you miserable is just not advisable at all.
University has some great experiences. Partying and getting pissed are some of these - for those who ENJOY those things. If you don't, you can get your awesome experiences elsewhere. Don't feel forced to follow the typical student lifestyle. And that is what I know about university.
The thing is that if you aren't a sociable person, you are not going to be able to keep this up all year. I was very social the first week and then gradually practically developed social anxiety from the stress of being around people so much. It went against my nature, and as much as I'd have liked to become effortlessly extroverted from forcing myself to go out and socialise all the time, it had the opposite effect.
Therefore, my advice is to make an effort, but stay true to yourself. It's one thing to say, "I'll make an effort to go out at least twice a week" as a nice goal to feel good about yourself, but forcing yourself to go out every night to get the "experience"everyone hypes up when it's making you miserable is just not advisable at all.
University has some great experiences. Partying and getting pissed are some of these - for those who ENJOY those things. If you don't, you can get your awesome experiences elsewhere. Don't feel forced to follow the typical student lifestyle. And that is what I know about university.
Original post by Aeschylus
I've seen all sorts of fakery - someone even inventing a fake middle name
I agree with the sentiment, but I go by a different name that's not my legal one - it's not fakery unless they claim it's their legal name, really. I assume that's what they did.
I wish someone had said these things to me:
1. LEARN TO COOK FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY. It will save you so much money, and will be so much healthier. Don't live off sandwiches until the second semester.
2. Start assignments on the day you're given them. Even though you have five weeks to do it, you'll still end up doing it the night before it's due.
3. Don't stay up until 5am too often. Your sleeping pattern will be ****ed.
4. You don't have to study in the uni library. If it's too busy, find another one.
5. Eat breakfast. Make the time for it. You'll feel better.
6. In first year, you have lots of free time. Use it productively.
7. Start revising for end-of-year exams as soon as possible, not three weeks before (even though you'll still pass, you'll save a lot of stress).
8. Your transfer to Glasgow will be successful, so stop stressing.
9. Get a decent pair of boots for the winter because it'll be like a ****ing Ice Age this year.
10. Two of your flatmates are psychos.
1. LEARN TO COOK FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY. It will save you so much money, and will be so much healthier. Don't live off sandwiches until the second semester.
2. Start assignments on the day you're given them. Even though you have five weeks to do it, you'll still end up doing it the night before it's due.
3. Don't stay up until 5am too often. Your sleeping pattern will be ****ed.
4. You don't have to study in the uni library. If it's too busy, find another one.
5. Eat breakfast. Make the time for it. You'll feel better.
6. In first year, you have lots of free time. Use it productively.
7. Start revising for end-of-year exams as soon as possible, not three weeks before (even though you'll still pass, you'll save a lot of stress).
8. Your transfer to Glasgow will be successful, so stop stressing.
9. Get a decent pair of boots for the winter because it'll be like a ****ing Ice Age this year.
10. Two of your flatmates are psychos.
Original post by cinosia
oh wow, so many things I wish I knew ... Where to begin?
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
you're young, you're talented, your mind is just buzzing with ideas you can't quite put your finger on - don't worry about the ones who think they know it all and seem intimidating, because every time you fake yourself to try to intimidate others you burn out a little bit of that vital spark that makes you so powerful and special. Maybe you didn't get quite to the university you wanted, but it's misguided to be sad about that - if you really think about it, and break it down, you can find what you want where you are. You really can. But nothing deadens possibility like despair.
You're going to make mistakes, possibly big ones, possibly heartbreaking ones. There are hard times ahead and they are going to make you stronger, they are going to teach you things about yourself that you can't even imagine yet. Be brave.
Don't get drunk if you don't want to, and don't apologise for it. You'll find others like you, and they'll take your lead if you're confident enough to say what you want and not go along with the crowd. Do get drunk if you do want to, but make sure there are people you can trust around you, and drink lots of water, and possibly drink some vegetable bouillon before you sleep, because it's important to replace your salts as well.
Go to the library. Smell the books. Find your way in to your course - find that book or poem or painting that you love for some inexplicable reason - and then find out why you love it. That's by far the nicest way of getting a first. Go to office hours and talk to your lecturers and don't be afraid or intimidated, because however brilliant they are, you have something they don't - a completely fresh perspective untainted by the years of scholarship that can sometimes cloud vision. That perspective helps them just as their brilliance and knowledge helps you.
Find people to love and be loyal to them. Build up networks of trust and compassion. Don't be lonely.
Feel scared but remember it's just a feeling.
good luck 2011 freshers! You'll be great
Bravo.
Original post by KerrangLover
Hey
Im going to MMU too. Living from home also, but know majority of my friends are going here too, as I'm from Manchester. I live close by, but I am the same still, hoping we don't miss out.
What subject you going to study?
Im going to MMU too. Living from home also, but know majority of my friends are going here too, as I'm from Manchester. I live close by, but I am the same still, hoping we don't miss out.
What subject you going to study?
Psychology with Crime Studies at the Crewe campus, you?
Original post by cinosia
oh you poor thing ... don't panic!! Let me tell you, when I was 18, I made quite a mess of the whole thing, and it took a while to get sorted out and on the right track. But it's amazing the strength you can find in yourself when you're faced with a tricky situation. I really mean that!
of course you can print it glad it might be helpful to you. Wishing you all the best (and try to enjoy your holidays!)
of course you can print it
glad it might be helpful to you. Wishing you all the best (and try to enjoy your holidays!)Really glad of this post and the post before.
I managed to "accidentally" get into uni. And Im pleased, but I have 3 weeks to sort out EVERYTHING. No where to live, no money, got to leave my job, change my plans. I am panicking like hell!! I have no idea what to do. Ohh and im excited.. but terrified!
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