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things you wish you knew before starting uni?

things you wish you knew before starting uni?
Reply 1
Hahahaha , helpful , thanks
Not going to university is often the better option.

Consider your options carefully and only go if it’s what you really want to pursue or If you need to go because it’s related to your career choice.

I’m 23 and all my friends who have decided not to go to university are more successful than those that have gone.
Facts... 💯%
I hundred percent agree with you!
Original post by Anonymous
things you wish you knew before starting uni?


Hiya!

A few things I wish I knew before starting uni was to bring a door stop. I used a doorstop policy in my first year so that when my door was open my friends knew they could come in, and it made making friends easier and less awkward!

I found a standing clothes horse so useful to hang my clothes dry as well as a sock dryer to peg up my socks/pants etc.

Also to bring basic cleaning supplies for your bathroom and kitchen!

Sam- Official Student Rep :smile:
Original post by Victor. Z
Facts... 💯%
I hundred percent agree with you!

No problem my dude
Reply 6
Original post by Thisismyunitsr
Not going to university is often the better option.

Consider your options carefully and only go if it’s what you really want to pursue or If you need to go because it’s related to your career choice.

I’m 23 and all my friends who have decided not to go to university are more successful than those that have gone.

so true! thank you :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by University of Portsmouth Student Rep
Hiya!

A few things I wish I knew before starting uni was to bring a door stop. I used a doorstop policy in my first year so that when my door was open my friends knew they could come in, and it made making friends easier and less awkward!

I found a standing clothes horse so useful to hang my clothes dry as well as a sock dryer to peg up my socks/pants etc.

Also to bring basic cleaning supplies for your bathroom and kitchen!

Sam- Official Student Rep :smile:

i will remember this, thank you !
Reply 8
Definitely bring headphones / earplugs, university corridors are especially noisy.
Original post by Thisismyunitsr
Not going to university is often the better option.

Consider your options carefully and only go if it’s what you really want to pursue or If you need to go because it’s related to your career choice.

I’m 23 and all my friends who have decided not to go to university are more successful than those that have gone.

Not taking anything away from the validity of this point (it is a very good point and well made), but just to say that's not surprising that your friends that decided not to go to university are more successful than those that have by the age of 23. The friends that went to university are, in the grand scheme of things, barely out of their education (some may not be out of their education at all), whereas the others that didn't go to university could have had half a decade of work experience and career progression at this point. The idea behind degrees is that they open different doors, allow you to start at different places on the career ladder, and put you on steeper career trajectories. Of course that doesn't always happen, hence the entirely valid point that university may not be the better option, but for those that have made the right decision to go to university, it'll likely be another few years at least before the career benefits of that become apparent. Come back to us at the age of 30 and I suspect the balance between those that went to university and those that didn't will be somewhat different.
Original post by Thisismyunitsr
Not going to university is often the better option.

Consider your options carefully and only go if it’s what you really want to pursue or If you need to go because it’s related to your career choice.

I’m 23 and all my friends who have decided not to go to university are more successful than those that have gone.

This is so true. Have a good think about it, I go to uni and have lots of friends who go and also have friends who don't and i do wish sometimes I didn't.
3 years build up debt when you could get some experience figure out what you actually want to do and by getting experience you'll have a higher chance of getting the job.
probably going to uni in the first place definitely regretting it and I'm only a term in smh
Original post by Thisismyunitsr
Not going to university is often the better option.

Consider your options carefully and only go if it’s what you really want to pursue or If you need to go because it’s related to your career choice.

I’m 23 and all my friends who have decided not to go to university are more successful than those that have gone.


seeing this literally is making me drop out , im first year and so far its been so bad.

with your friends that did not go uni are they in a well paid job than the ones that did
also what did your friends that didnt go uni do instead?
Original post by Xavier28
seeing this literally is making me drop out , im first year and so far its been so bad.

with your friends that did not go uni are they in a well paid job than the ones that did
also what did your friends that didnt go uni do instead?


Maybe because the ones in UNI haven't left yet or just left and didn't get a job yet?
1. You’re not gonna make friends as easy and quickly as you think you will (some might Idk depends on the person)
2. Uni halls are extremely noisy 24/7 and it will drive you mad if you’re used to silence
3. Beds in uni accommodation are so freaking uncomfortable
4. Living with strangers is hard especially when everyone is so particular about how they want things to be-people really care about how a kitchen should look like
That it wasn't living in a boring place with nothing to do throughout my childhood that made my life dull and listless. I was just as bored and demotivated when I went to University in a vibrant city and had plenty of options.

Also, you can never have too many spoons. Eating yoghurt with a fork is less fun than it looks.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by setarehxx
1. You’re not gonna make friends as easy and quickly as you think you will (some might Idk depends on the person)
2. Uni halls are extremely noisy 24/7 and it will drive you mad if you’re used to silence
3. Beds in uni accommodation are so freaking uncomfortable
4. Living with strangers is hard especially when everyone is so particular about how they want things to be-people really care about how a kitchen should look like

To add to this list:
1. Cooking every meal for yourself is actually much much easier than you think
2. The first couple of weeks are EXTREMELY stressful
3. Good luck sleeping


words of advice:

Clean up after yourself as soon as you make mess when cooking/eating etc. Don't leave dishes in the sink. Your flat will hate you.
Don't take up all the space in the fridge. Your flat will hate you.
Don't steal your flatmates food. Your flat will hate you.
(not that I've done these things but I have a flatmate who does all of the above and it is rather vexing.)

In short, don't be mean:smile:
Reply 17
1. It'll take time to click with people, so don't worry if you don't make friends initially or seem to have an instant connection with your flatmates. Uni is always billed as the 'time of your life' but you are there for you, so don't try to compare yourself to others if you fall short socially.
2. Fire alarms are pretty unexpected but even when you think you know their schedule, they still scare the living s*** out of you
3. Don't have it fixated in your mind that 'first year doesn't count so therefore I can be carefree' because if you do, you might just fall off the rails. Have fun, but set the tone for the years to come.
4. Halls are very noisy and can quite literally drive you to fits of insanity
5. Relying on takeaways 24/7 may just lead you to laziness.
6. A lot of uni culture does revolve around alcohol and although it seems like it's the one thing that brings you closer to others, it's probably better not to get constantly drunk.
7. You will learn to appreciate money like you have never done before. This is especially the case when you're a broke a** student who previously thought that loan in first term had provided you with newfound riches.
(edited 3 years ago)
Probably the amount of 'down-time' there is. From the outside it looks as though people are constantly studying or socialising etc., but actually a good chunk of your week will be spent in your own company - either doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, food shopping, killing time between lectures etc. Sometimes none of your friends will have free time when you do, so don't be afraid to do things by yourself.

As others have said too, don't expect to instantly make friends or for people to seek you out - be proactive about it, and you should be fine.

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