*Its another long one, you might want a cuppa first!*
For me university has been the best whirlwind of a journey I've ever been on. And even the times I wished I was at home, I loved it too, and I have so many crazy, hysterical memories that I will never forget. The best part of my life in uni has to be the people I've meet and the friends I've made. From the friends for life, to the 'best friend' you drunkenly make in the bathroom queue in a club, they all count.
Jumping back a year from now...
Excitement is the only emotion I remember having towards going to university, like many of you guys getting ready to move now I'm sure. I was ready to move out, and the idea of doing silly things like cooking and shopping for myself was something I really looked forward too. I bought all my matching crockery sets and had everything packed and ready for about a week before I was actually due to move in.
Moving in week passed in a blur of 'hello's' and 'I'm Megan'. But by the end of the week I felt as if I'd already been there for a month. It was crazy how quickly and easily me and my flatmates all formed as a kitchen. I was so incredibly lucky to be placed with the people I was, and although we are all completely different (and have actually agreed that we would never have normally hung out with each other) In this kind of environment, where your alone we all got along.
Freshers Week...
Again this passed in a blur, but this time it was more of an alcohol induced blur. Foam parties, bar crawls and nights sat on the bathroom floor holding back hair, it all happened. But it was one of the best weeks at uni. It was also the same week I began my course, so although the 9am lectures weren't appreciated on 3 hours sleep, I finally got to see what I had signed myself up for over the next three years.
I was one of those students who had researched and knew everything there was to know about my course. Thats my one piece of advice to anyone starting out at uni. Make sure you know what you've signed up for, and that your doing your course for the right reasons. There would be nothing worse than resenting and hating your course, after hoarding out a small fortune to get onto it.
The Next 6 Months...
Surprise Surprise, they passed in a blur. Sometimes alcohol induced sometimes stressed induced. The months passed with a combination of nights out, and deadlines. Nights in watching 'Saw' films in the fire escape and water ballon fights in the corridors. Birthdays and again more alcohol, followed by again early lectures and pretty bad hangovers. Playing in the park in the snow and sitting in the park in the sun drinking cider.
Before I knew it exams were rolling around. A year ago when I thought of moving into halls, I never once thought about the day when it would end. I never once did when I was there, and quickly it crept up on all of us, until all of a sudden someone was packing up their room and moving out. I was one of the last to leave and so I watched all of my friends who I had lived with for the last 6 months pack up and go. Some I knew I would see again, some I knew I wouldn't.
A Year On...
My summer is nearly over and in about a month I will be moving in with 4 other amazing girls to live in a student house. I know this year I'm not in for such an easy ride. The work load will be heavier for all of us and i'm sure the sight of my overdraft will again be a recurring and unpleasant sight. But looking back on my first year at uni and the all the people I've meet i'm pretty sure we still have tons more laughs.
To those of you about to start uni, enjoy it! Never again will you get to live in halls. To those who are nervous, as cliche as it is (but true), everyone is in the same boat, and everyone wants to make friends, so maybe leave your door open when you move in, or make a point of hanging about the kitchen. To those who are worried about the workload, stay on top of what you have to do so your not in for any nasty surprises. To those of you worried about money, work out how much you can afford to spend each week and stick to it. To those of you worried about sharing your bathroom or kitchen with a bunch of boys, bring rubber gloves! Uni and living in halls is difficult and wont always be a bed of roses, but even on the worst days there will always be 20 more good ones to make it worth it.
