5 Things I Should Have Done at University.

Three years at university really do just whiz by. The endless studying, partying and general student living now seems like a distant memory as I enter my second year as a graduate. There is no doubt that university really was the best time of my life, however, sometimes I do look back and feel I could have made better use of my time there. Of course, the past cannot be changed and there is no point looking back with regrets and if I had the chance to go back and change things I wouldn’t. However, there are five things I believe that I probably should have done at university, and although it is no longer possible for me to do these, perhaps future students out there can learn from this. (Of course, not everybody will agree with these, as my boyfriend was happy to tell me!)

1. Join a society – Joining a society, especially in your first year, is a great way to make friends and gain confidence. This is something I really wish I did at university but I never got around to it. As most societies were sports related I felt I could not join any of them as my fitness levels are probably way below average as I can barely run for the bus without getting out of breath!  However, as I found out too late, most of the societies also had a ‘social members’ side to them. This meant I could have had the opportunity to take part in the infamous Wednesday night traditions but not have to suffer the pure embarrassment of playing the actual sport. So whether you play sports or not there is always a society out there for you, but if there is not, you can always create your own! 

2. Volunteer/get a job – One of the best things about doing an arts degree is that you really do have so much free time on your hands. As annoying as it was, having just 5 hours of uni a week is a blessing if you’re interested in extra curricular activities. Of course by third year I could have just ripped my brain out at the thought of having a part time job, (seriously where did people find the time?) but volunteering for a few hours a week would have been a great way to try new things, gain confidence and add something to the dreaded CV. There are so many volunteering opportunities that university can help you with and it is something I really should have taken advantage of.

3. Use the Career Service – As you enter your final year at university the phrases ‘real world’, ‘graduate schemes’ and ‘graduate jobs’ begin to be imprinted into your brain and hang over you like a dark cloud on a rainy day. With the constant worry of essays, exams and the daunting dissertation the last thing you really want to think about is jobs and what the hell it is you’re going to do next. With so much work to do, I found myself constantly avoiding the inevitable future and began to blank out the idea that there was life after university. After the joy and celebration of graduation real life begins to kick in and the constant fear of not knowing what you want to do and who to turn to becomes very real. However, that is what your university career service is there for, to help you find your way and provide as much as advice for you as they possibly can. Whether it is useful or not, there is no harm in visiting your career service to see what they come up with. I never used mine and as a result I will never know what advice they could have had to offer.

  
4.  Explore the city/culture – Just like most students I spent most of my time hunched over a book in the library or cooped up hung over in bed watching endless amounts of trashy television to help me get through a painful day. With so much studying and partying to do, it was very rare for students to be seen out of the confines of the university area. However, there is so much more to university than the university building itself and these three years may be your only chance to explore your new home. Whilst I spent my final weeks at university exploring the cities history, including its castle, cathedral and museums, there was so much more Leicester had to offer but it was too late for me to see. Explore your new city and thrive in the different cultures it has to offer.

     
5. Drink less – Yes, really. It goes without saying that students really do love to party, a lot. Drinking copious amounts of alcohol, waking up with vomit in our hair and arriving to lectures still drunk from the night before was something that occurred on a daily basis. However, students can drink dangerous amounts of alcohol and the next day sometimes you really do think, was it worth it? Drinking so much at uni has led to me finding alcohol really hard to stomach and even a casual beer results in flashbacks of some of the awful hangovers I used to suffer from. Drinking can be fun and it truly is part of the student lifestyle, but sometimes you really do need to know when to stop