My University Experience
I am very proud to say I am a graduate, 3 years of hard work really has paid off and it was the best 3 years of my life. It was also the hardest 3 years of my life.
My journey of getting into University wasn't the most straightforward. When I was at 6th Form, the only option you were really told about was going to university, you weren't told about apprenticeships or other options you could do so I kind of just felt like I had to go to University. Then came deciding what I wanted to study, eventually I chose Law, honestly I didn't have any reasons why, I really just didn't know what I wanted to do. I wasn't lucky enough to be one of those kids that had a career goal and knew exactly what I wanted to be, and if I'm honest, to this day I'm still not completely sure what I want to do.
I didn't get the best A-Level results but after eventually getting into University, I knew it was the right choice. I packed all my stuff up and moved to Leicester. It's fair to say nothing can prepare you for University, no matter how much advice you get, you won't know until you get there and go through it yourself.
My first year was probably the most stressful out of all three, purely based on the fact I wasn't prepared for the vast amount of work I had to do. I can't speak for all degrees but for Law, it was a lot. I was unorganised, I didn't keep on top of my work, I was getting behind and it was long days and nights of having to catch up that got me back on track. I also faced 4 exams in my first year which was a hard struggle. I remember leaving my last exam just being happy that was it over and I could have some time off. I think first year involved a lot of learning about myself and kind of realising how much harder I was going to have to work. I thought I would have a good work life balance but really it just showed me the complete opposite.
Second year I took a lot of mistakes I made in first year, and didn't make them again. Although there was even more work to do and it was all harder, I enjoyed my second year at University. Having been through one year already, I knew to keep on top of things, I knew to just get my work done on time and not do the last minute thing. However, second year was also the year I struggled the most living away from home. I was travelling home almost every other weekend. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the 'University Experience' doesn't just involve living away from home and getting a degree, it's a lot more than that. After my second year I decided to move home and commute for my final year.
Final year definitely carried the most pressure, it was the year that counted the most. Commuting to and from Leicester nearly everyday probably didn't help with that pressure either but I don't regret commuting. It did however make me dislike trains a lot more. I felt like a lot more was expected of me in third year, but I knew I wasn't going to let two years of hard work go to waste, I wanted a first class degree and I was going to do whatever it took to get one. There was a lot more reading, a lot more preparation, a lot more work but you'd be surprised how much you'll learn in the two years before that helps in the final one.
I'm super happy I went to University and got my degree, I can't even begin to explain how rewarding it is after all the hard work and how proud you feel. What you learn at University about life and yourself can only be experienced there, and I value the person I have become after being at university and what I have learn't about myself. But like I said earlier, I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do. I am going back to University for another year, and I'm hoping after that, I'll be sure what I'm going to do but really who knows. So much can change in a year.
I'd love to share more about my journey so if there's anything particular that anyone wants me to talk about like moving away from home, studying a Law degree, commuting to University or just University life then let me know.
My journey of getting into University wasn't the most straightforward. When I was at 6th Form, the only option you were really told about was going to university, you weren't told about apprenticeships or other options you could do so I kind of just felt like I had to go to University. Then came deciding what I wanted to study, eventually I chose Law, honestly I didn't have any reasons why, I really just didn't know what I wanted to do. I wasn't lucky enough to be one of those kids that had a career goal and knew exactly what I wanted to be, and if I'm honest, to this day I'm still not completely sure what I want to do.
I didn't get the best A-Level results but after eventually getting into University, I knew it was the right choice. I packed all my stuff up and moved to Leicester. It's fair to say nothing can prepare you for University, no matter how much advice you get, you won't know until you get there and go through it yourself.
My first year was probably the most stressful out of all three, purely based on the fact I wasn't prepared for the vast amount of work I had to do. I can't speak for all degrees but for Law, it was a lot. I was unorganised, I didn't keep on top of my work, I was getting behind and it was long days and nights of having to catch up that got me back on track. I also faced 4 exams in my first year which was a hard struggle. I remember leaving my last exam just being happy that was it over and I could have some time off. I think first year involved a lot of learning about myself and kind of realising how much harder I was going to have to work. I thought I would have a good work life balance but really it just showed me the complete opposite.
Second year I took a lot of mistakes I made in first year, and didn't make them again. Although there was even more work to do and it was all harder, I enjoyed my second year at University. Having been through one year already, I knew to keep on top of things, I knew to just get my work done on time and not do the last minute thing. However, second year was also the year I struggled the most living away from home. I was travelling home almost every other weekend. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the 'University Experience' doesn't just involve living away from home and getting a degree, it's a lot more than that. After my second year I decided to move home and commute for my final year.
Final year definitely carried the most pressure, it was the year that counted the most. Commuting to and from Leicester nearly everyday probably didn't help with that pressure either but I don't regret commuting. It did however make me dislike trains a lot more. I felt like a lot more was expected of me in third year, but I knew I wasn't going to let two years of hard work go to waste, I wanted a first class degree and I was going to do whatever it took to get one. There was a lot more reading, a lot more preparation, a lot more work but you'd be surprised how much you'll learn in the two years before that helps in the final one.
I'm super happy I went to University and got my degree, I can't even begin to explain how rewarding it is after all the hard work and how proud you feel. What you learn at University about life and yourself can only be experienced there, and I value the person I have become after being at university and what I have learn't about myself. But like I said earlier, I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do. I am going back to University for another year, and I'm hoping after that, I'll be sure what I'm going to do but really who knows. So much can change in a year.
I'd love to share more about my journey so if there's anything particular that anyone wants me to talk about like moving away from home, studying a Law degree, commuting to University or just University life then let me know.
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