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

20 facts about me!

Hey

I've been tagged by Lamia L (her lovely blog is here) to write 20 facts about me and share them with you guys. It's honestly one of the hardest posts I've ever written, which is crazy because it's about me so surely it would be easy, but no!

Ok, I know there's only 20 facts and it says 25 but it just looked too pretty!

Fact 1: 

I've only ever worn high heels out and about once, I think. I'm not entirely sure why, I guess it's because I'm six foot so there isn't much point really. Also, I'm seriously bad at walking in them so I'll really need to practise before my school's summer ball (oh yes I'm wearing heels then - help!!)

Fact 2:

I never finish a cup of tea. Weird I know, but I'll always leave a little at the bottom. I don't know why. My mum used to do this too so maybe I picked it up from her.

Fact 3:

I really dislike people thinking I'm rich. I know it's an odd thing to say but I really don't like it. I'm not rich but I think I probably appear like it on the outside because I go to private school and I am lucky enough to go holiday quite a lot. However, I can only go to my current school (or I guess old school now that I've left :O) because I get a large bursary from the school. Also, with my mum dying a few years ago we've been able to get her pension which allows us to have enough money to travel - pretty much any spare money my family has we spend because you don't live forever and you should enjoy life while you can. 

Fact 4:

I notice really little things that most people don't see. I don't know why exactly but normally if I have an idea about someone or something, such as a small comment, I'll normally be right. My best friend and I used to call ourselves observant owls.

Fact 5:

When I'm bored I make up scenarios in my head and then make them into really long stories.

Fact 6:

I've got this odd pet hate. It really annoys me when people call squash, juice. I know, I know it's so silly!

Fact 7:

I constantly have a moral dilemma because I want to travel the world so much but in so many ways I'm eco freak and don't want to kill those polar bears aaah!

Fact 8:

Every week I do target shooting at 25m and absolutely love it. If you ever get to have a go at shooting, do it - you'll love it!

Fact 9:

I'd absolutely love to be a doctor. I've been offered places at Dundee and Leicester medical school starting in September, which I hope I get. Although I think it's unlikely after how the exams have gone but fingers crossed!

Fact 10:

I've never had a boyfriend. I guess this could be considered uncommon for someone my age but it's just never happened. Hopefully when I go to uni I'll meet a nice chap.

Fact 11:

I absolutely love garlic. I'll even have it for breakfast!

Fact 12:

I think I put on quite a confident persona when really I'm not that self confident. I'm trying to be more confidence because I think it definitely makes you happier.

Fact 13:

When I'm older I definitely want to have children. Although I'm not particularly great with kids, I think this is because I'm an only child and grandchild so I'm hoping it improves as I get older. I really want to adopt children as well as having my own.

Fact 14:

I'm terrified of snakes. They freak me out so much to the point that when there was a photo of one in my biology exam this year I started to panic. I think I'll definitely need to get over this if I want to travel!

Fact 15:

Talking of exams, I'm one of the worst people to be around during exam time. I just get so nervous and probably manage to wind up everyone because I keep talking and panicking.

Fact 16:

I love looking at photos. I got a camera for my 18th so I hope to take some nice pictures of my own although I'm not very good at it yet.

Fact 17:

I'd love to be bilingual. I just feel so awful when I go on holiday and I can't speak the local language. Plus, it saddens me that some of you lovely readers come from countries whose first language isn't English and I can't write my posts in your mother tongue. 

Fact 18:

A few months ago I fell out with a close friend. Even though I know it's probably the best thing for both of us and was a difficult friendship at times, I really miss it. We had all these plans for the future and it's weird to think they'll probably never happen. 

Fact 19:

I'm awful with make-up. Just so so bad. I think it's a little like the high heels - I've had no practise so I remain awful. I hardly ever wear it but I think this summer I'll start experimenting as I'd like to be good.

Fact 20:

I know it sounds super cliché but I genuinely get so excited every time someone follows, comments or views my blog. I find it so unbelievably lovely and cool that someone has taken time out of their day to read what I've written. To me it's literally mind-blowing! Thank you so so much :)

Thanks for reading all the way to the end! If you're reading this and you'd like to, I challenge you to write this post too! 

Lizzie

 xxx

Thank you!

I don't really know how to write this but I really want to, so I'm hoping it'll all just come out ok.

These last few years have been quite difficult for me. My mum died, home life was really tough, moving schools and so many other things I won't go into here - on top of everything applying to medical school and actually trying to get the grades! There have been so many times when everything seemed so horrible and the world was just black. I don't know how to explain it. I wanted to feel happy I really did but I just couldn't. I'd always have this constant nervousness and sadness even though there would often be no reason for it. Don't get me wrong, of course I did have days when I was happy, but for so long I felt like I was trapped in this unhappy place, while everyone else was enjoying life. However, this post isn't about all the upsetting things, this is about saying thank you, because throughout the time there have been two ridiculously special people. I know for sure that if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here today. Not necessarily ending it, more I wouldn't be the person I am today. They were always there, through the good and the bad times, when I was panicking and crying but also when I was laughing and having fun. They always stuck by me and were just a face-to-face chat, Facebook message, phone call or email away. I can't say thank you enough to these people!

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People say their best friend is the best, but I can assure you they obviously haven't met Penny. She's the greatest person you could ever meet. Unbelievably kind, gorgeous, amazing fun and a brilliant listener. Every time I was upset even about the most trivial things, she was always there, making me laugh and stopping me worrying. I have some of the best memories of my life with her, even the most simple of things like eating dib dabs on the business park bench to the greatest things like going on our first holiday together to the Edinburgh Fringe. We were both so scared we wouldn't remain friends when we went to different sixth forms - how stupid we were!

The other person I'd like to say thank you to, and I know Penny will be able to guess this, is Mrs Hague. She's an insanely amazing teacher at the school I moved to for sixth form, and she's just so lovely. I trust her more than anyone in the entire world (except Penny of course!). I don't think she knows how much she's changed my life. I feel I could tell her pretty much anything; she's been like the mum I no longer have.

If you're in a dark place right now, I can promise you it will get better. Talk to someone you trust and you know will understand; you can always talk to these guys. I never believed I would feel happy again when I was about 14/15 but I can assure you with all my heart it is possible.

This post doesn't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for these people in my life, but it's a start. I know they may never read it, but I think it's really important to thank people, whether its due to something massive or the smallest of things that meant the world to you.

Thank you!

Lizzie