I know a lot of people worry about university. I did before I went, so I can completely understand. There’s a lot going on when you’re there, there’s your course, your societies, making new friends, etc. But now that I’ve finished and I can look back on it all, I want to do that, and hopefully show the positive things that can come out of it as a whole experience.
First of all, the course. Two of the best things I can say that I got out of university are my degree in something I love and a work ethic which I have carried on. The pride I felt on the day of my graduation, being awarded my degree, was something I’ll never forget. And what made it even more special is that I had to work incredibly hard to pull through. I had to resit my third year of university because of mental health problems, which wasn’t the best situation, but if it hadn’t been for this, I wouldn’t have changed my work ethic, and I wouldn’t have finished my degree. So being able to finish my course when at one point I didn’t think I would, was an amazing feeling. The other point I would make about university is that if you put everything you can into your course, and you pass, it shouldn’t matter what degree classification you get, if you’ve worked as hard as you can, you should be proud of your degree.
The second thing I want to talk about is on the topic of friends. At university, friends can come from anywhere. Of my closest friends that I made at university, one I met in my first week at university, as we did the same course and were in the same halls of residence, two I met through modules that I took where I didn’t know anyone, and these two were the people who made me feel welcome and at home, and one I met through a friend. These people are family to me now, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I have other friends from uni who came from everything I did whilst I was there, some from halls, some from societies, and some from my course, and considering I started university as a very shy person, who wasn’t expecting to make loads of friends, ending up in the position I am now in, was a very welcome shock! The important thing to do with making friends at uni is to just take that leap sometimes, because you never know who will end up being a friend for life.
So yes university is a scary prospect, but if you give it everything in every aspect, even if it doesn’t all go to plan, it can still be a very positive experience.
Stay positive, and once again, this is Conor, signing off
