10 things I learnt during First Year

1. The best memories and experiences happen when you leave your comfort zone.

Some of my favourite memories from university have been made through situations where I feel the most out of my depth. As much as I love meeting new people it can be quite nerve-wracking (but exhilarating). But these people can show you a new side to university life that you never knew about and expose you to experiences you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

For instance, my friend Beth invited me out for birthday drinks with some of her friends; I knew absolutely no one and was extremely nervous but after meeting them, got on with them so well. Fortunately, they liked me enough to want me to come out with them again and again and now I have found more people who are just as friendly and crazy as me and like the same nights out as me.

2. Your mental health should ALWAYS be your first priority.

I suffered really badly with my mental health during second term. I started experiencing panic attacks for the first time in my life but was too embarrassed to talk about with anyone. Some were triggered by alcohol but some weren’t. But there were a couple of occurrences where I was hosting pre-drinks or a flat party and I would have to lock myself in my room and would be uncontrollably shaking, crying and struggling to breathe. They got so bad that I really struggled to leave my room for about 3 weeks straight because I found socialising really overwhelming. Looking back I wish I had communicated my feelings with my flatmates and friends a lot earlier as it came across as me being anti-social and not wanting to spend any time with them. I also feel as though I would have become mentally better a lot quicker. So, if you are having a hard time please talk to your university friends and home friends. Also, most universities offer free counselling, the wait is usually long so try and book one in as soon as you can as when your mental health begins to suffer so do your relationships, grades and overall health.

3. Checking up on your friends is so important.

Just as you go through hard times throughout your life, so will your friends (at university and at home). A lot of people struggle to open up about their issues, so checking up on your friends and reassuring them that you’re there for them if they need a chat is crucial. Not everyone will want to talk, but little acts of kindness really can brighten someone’s dark day. I know I need to practice this a lot more with my own friends, so this is definitely one of the things I want to become better at during second year.

4. Don’t compare your university experience to others through social media.

I have an awful habit of setting myself high expectations of the life I should be living. These expectations are usually based off of photos I see on Instagram of people going out and enjoying themselves. Despite having so much fun and going out a lot during first year, there were definitely points where I felt as though that other people were having more fun and going out more than me, which put my FOMO through the roof. It is important to remember that social media is a massive illusion which mainly displays the highlights of people’s lives. University is not constantly fun and exciting, there will be many times where you’re bored out of your mind, stuck in doing work and fed up of your daily routine. Therefore, you shouldn’t let social media trick you into thinking that your university experience isn’t the same quality as others.

5. Events are better than clubbing.

This is a personal opinion; however, I always enjoy events which play specific music genres that I like rather than clubs nights that constantly play the same music. A couple of my favourite events were Detonate’s Kings of The Rollers event at The Brickworks, who are a collaboration of some of my favourite drum and bass DJ's and Cirque Du Soul at Rock City which is a carnival/circus styled night where everyone is encouraged to dress up in funky outfits. It really makes the atmosphere so much more fun.

6. Always be yourself.

I feel as though it is a known fact that you cannot hide who you truly are at university, you are constantly surrounded by people so keeping up a false persona is close to impossible. You will meet so many people so it is inevitable that not everyone is going to like you, so just be yourself. It may take time for you to meet your close friends who you really vibe with, but do not give up hope because they are out there. Don’t ever change yourself to fit in with others because that will never bring you ever happiness, find people who join in on your weirdness!

7. Make yourself dinner, even when you’re hungover.

It may be one of those days where you’re so hungover that you can’t even move without the whole room spinning or wanting to throw up but not eating for the whole day will only turn that hangover into a two-day hangover. I’ve learnt this from experience, I just hope I can remember this advice in second year.

8. It’s okay to want to be alone.

While being surrounded by people on a regular basis, you are also allowed to be by yourself and recharge. Don’t be so harsh on yourself if you want to stay in your room all evening or feel as though other people are more social than you. Some people’s social batteries are larger than others.

9. Hard work DOES pay off.

It is horrible when you have to skip a night out to study or feel as though you’ve spent the whole day in the library, however, all this work does pay off and you will be so thankful when you see the results at the end of the year. I study Spanish as one of the modules, despite despising it at GCSE. I had a really bad mentality that I was always going to be bad at it, but I put my head down throughout the year and ended up achieving grades that I thought I couldn’t achieve. More importantly, I now actually enjoy learning the language and cannot wait to further improve my skills and speak the language at a higher level.

10. Appreciate every minute of it.

The good, the bad. The highs, the lows. These are all genuine human emotions and all a part of your university experience. University is a very small period of your life, so make the most of the opportunities in front of you and do what you feel as though will make your university experience most enjoyable … You still have to work and get a degree though.

Love Lola x