10 things I've learnt at uni

I feel over the last eight months of uni I've learnt so much. I'm technically now an adult (I know, woah, scary - I don't believe it myself!), and I've definitely done a lot of growing up. There were so many changes; living away from home, moving 500 miles away to be one of very few English people in Dundee as well as all the little things like planning dinner every night and doing your own washing etc.

Here's a list of 10 things I've learnt at uni which I think are important whether you're there now or hoping to go in the future.

Live in the moment. This is so important. Take every chance and just do random things that make you happy. The number of nights I've ended up driving around Dundee with one of my best pals or climbing the Law Hill after class because it was sunny or going on an impromtu night out. Uni life is so different to anything else I've experienced, and you've gotta embrace it as much as you can!

Get on top of work early. I know that's so easy for me to say than to actually ever do, but sitting here trying to revise with few notes and little recollection of lectures really makes it so hard, which obviously adds to the stress of exams already! I do think though that's something that everyone in first year struggles with because everyone wants to party and make new friends, so I'm hoping I can take what I've learnt and not make quite as many mistakes next year.

Make time for 'me' time. If you go to uni you're most likely to stay in halls. Here you'll make life-long mates, attend some of the wildest pres and just ultimately have fun. But living in a flat of seven girls like I did can be stressful when you're seeing the same people so often - it creates tension that isn't needed such as who's turn is it to empty the bins. You'll end up arguing over the most stupid, petty things! Going to your room and relaxing with a book or episode on Netflix helps so much to clear your head - lock your door and just completely chill.

If you want to do something do it. I think the worst thing would be to look back in 5 years time once I've hopefully graduated and regret not doing something. If you like a guy tell him, if you want to go to a talk but no one you know is going, go anyways, you're sure to make friends and get along with like-minded people! You only get one shot at being a fresher and you have to make the most of it.

Keep up with your pals at home. This I cannot stress enough and I know for sure I didn't. It's so easy at uni to become completely engulfed in your new life with new people and new surroundings but you should aim to maintain the strong friendships and relationships that you hold with people at home. They were there first and know you so much better than anyone at uni does yet. It's one of the most heart breaking things when you realise that you haven't and you wonder if it will ever quite be the same again. Make time for a skype call, and ask them all about their day rather than just going on about yours.

Being home sick or not finding your sort of people straight away is ok and completely normal - you will find them, sometimes in the weirdest of places when you're not even looking. I really struggled in the first few months with homesickness but it eventually goes away. I couldn't tell you when, but one day you just stop missing home and start calling your uni flat home. Yes, there will still be days when you wish you were back but it doesn't last forever. As for finding friends, I didn't really find my best pals until I started my course and even then I still met some of my mates much later on. You just never know when you'll meet people. Take two examples:

1. I met my ex-boyfriend who I dated for the first 7 months of uni at a party dressed as a crayon, where I then shouted at him in the middle of a street for 20 mins... somehow he got my number and he became my best bud at uni. I didn't go to that party expecting any of that to happen - people appear in your life sometimes at the most unexpected and strangest times.

2. I first met one of my best pals, Jamie, after taking ages to give him a fob for the society I'm year rep for. Somehow we became good pals after this and we speak/see each other every day, go for drives to McDonalds or the Law Hill etc at stupid hours of the night and just generally have fun!

Me as a a crayon with my medic parents

Save a little bit every week as an emergency fund. Everyone lives in their overdraft at some point, especially in the first term. I sat at -£500 for most of first semester. Paying rent, food, clothes, nights out, matriculation for clubs as well textbooks takes a lot out of your bank account and sadly student finance just doesn't quite cover it. At the start of this semester in January I started to save £20 automatically from my current account to savings account. It just means that if I hit an emergency I've got money saved to deal with it, and if no emergency occurs, then I've got a little extra to spend over summer, perhaps on a holiday!


Join a sports team or club completely unrelated to your course. If you're worried about making friends this is a brilliant way. In freshers week all the clubs and societies will run a stall, you go to their taster days and then matriculate with the ones you most enjoy. I joined rowing and it's honestly one of the best decisions I've made at Dundee. I knew no one when I started but you soon make pals - you just got to put yourself out there and do what you want to do. The people are amazing; because it's a team sport you're all really close, not to mention the socials are the best nights out by far. Not gunna lie, training six days a week sometimes at 6am and then again at 1pm can be a struggle but I found it got me into a good routine and made me much more effective in my classwork. Also, that amount of sport definitely tones you up and made me feel happier and more confident about the way I look - not to mention it's super good for you!

My crew just before our race in Newcastle

 
You can be completely who you want to be. When I came to uni I wanted to change who I was slightly, not so much change, just more become the person I wanted to be. I wanted to have a larger group of mates, so I made the effort to talk to everyone and anyone. I wanted to get fitter so I joined a highly intensive sport. I wanted to be more confident so I pushed myself to do things on my own, talk to those I didn't know and speak up when I didn't understand. Whatever or whoever you want to be, you can be at uni. No one knows you - it's a clean slate.

It really is the best time of your life. I can't stress this enough. Yes, the work can be so hard you want to want to quit. Yes, you can feel homesick and want to escape back home. Yes, it can take a while to find the people you really click with. Honestly though, I promise, when everything starts to click into place, you'll have the most fun, wild and unique time of your life.

Hope you're all loving uni or do if you decide to go in the future!

Lizzie
 xxx