I never felt completely ready to go to university. There was always something more to do, another pair of jeans to pack, another fear that would make its way into my head and make me doubt my decision or another person I had to leave behind. To be honest, I don’t think you’re ever ready until you actually do it and finally start living the student life.
There are however some things I wish I’d known before coming to uni and which would have made my life so much easier.
- Don’t expect greatness from you first assignment draft.
I don’t know about you, but I will always remember writing my first assignment and what a delightful process that was….Who am I kidding? It was terrible!Not because of the subject, but because I didn’t expect it to be that different to what I was used to. I was one of the top students at school, so I thought writing an assignment couldn’t be that hard.Well, that confidence quickly vanished when my cousin read my draft and practically deleted half of the thing. Luckily, I had started my assignment early and still had time to change it. But that was a lesson I learned and has helped me prepare better for my next assignments and then the As started coming… - You will have to make sacrifices
It may be that you ran out of money and won’t be able to go out anymore or maybe you will have to get a job and not have that much time to yourself.The hardest of them all will, however, be not having a relaxing weekend because you have an assignment due soon and the Hive basically becomes your home and your social hub (oh, the joy!).And you will probably complain a lot about that, but, trust me, that is when your friendships become stronger because everyone is in the same boat. And that is also when you learn to organise yourself and to manage your time better. - Change will be hard and you will miss everything about your ‘old’ life
After arriving at my new home, I took me a while to settle in. I remember thinking that the room I was sleeping in would never be my real room. I wanted to believe it was just like being in a hotel, sleeping there for a few nights and easily going back home after, to my family and friends.But time passed and my feelings started to change. I came to like my new room, the city, the people and not long after, in my Skype calls with my family, I would refer to Worcester as my home.The stranger thing now is that when I go home, I feel like being in a hotel there, but mom makes sure the feeling goes away quickly as soon as she starts spoiling me. - Make the most of your time here
Contrary to all beliefs, I didn’t really do that when starting university. I know they say the first year is to accommodate yourself to a new life, learn new things and make new friends, but instead I chose to focus more on understanding the different teaching methods and getting a job.I do not regret it, but after my Erasmus experience this passed semester, I am confident I can balance the two better.
I hope these points will help make your transition to student life a little bit easier. As for the students who have already been through this and possibly felt the same way, feel free to comment below and add to the list.
Till next time!
Worcester Student Life 