Saturday, 21 May 2016

University life: Start vs Later

Hi guys!


I hope you are doing well...because I'm not. It's 2 am (midnight) and I have a sore throat with cough and runny nose. I guess it's the weather change so stay safe. However, that did not stop me from making a post for my lovely readers.



So... my first year exams are over!!! (dancing in joy) and now I have the longest holidays ever. 4 months or basically a third of a year. I am very excited to be spending my free time with no studies and no stress. Although, I must admit I am a little sad because I will miss my friends and some lecturers (yes I am that nerd, shoot me). If you are in uni, about to start uni or left uni then you can relate. I must say this is pretty much similar in any kind of institution (e.g. school, 6th form, college). These are some of the aspects that change over time.




1. Attendance

Start:

It's after the holidays. Results day and all that nonsense is gone finally (if you experienced a bad results day like me). You are new to the place. You may have been lost on the way because for some damn reason all the educational institutions are placed in the most random location. You attend those introductory/welcome assemblies and they scare you how attendance is crucial for your studies and etc. The way universities portrait the importance of the smallest sessions, like the computer sessions, you end up going and obviously it is pretty useless because you have common sense and you know how to do it for yourself. For the first 2-3 weeks the lecture halls are proper full and it's a struggle to get a good seat because majority of the students attend lectures.

Later:

The following conversation will explain a lot:

Friend A: 'What do we have tomorrow and when?'
Friend B: 'There is a biochemistry tutorial at 2'
Friend A: 'I don't wanna come in just for a tutorial. Is it important?'
Friend B: 'I guess for the coursework'
Friend A: 'Can you please send me notes if you go coz I won't go'
Friend B: 'K cool'

Do I need to explain further?
My point is that by 3th month of uni, there are way less people in the lecture hall and will only come if it is anyhow beneficial to them to which my favourite phrase to use: '9k for this huh?'


2. Friends

Start:

Most people are in the same position. They are alone with no friends or maybe that long distant friend from college is probably your friend for now. Social anxiety raises a lot amongst students because they want to portrait the best of them to make a friendship, ignoring the fact that they should be who they really are. Maybe you speak to one or two people thinking they may be the right one. Guess what? Never! It is very unlikely that the first person you speak to will be your best friend for life and all that illusional crap. It takes time and you do meet some good people and hang out with them.

Later:

You don't notice and your Whatsapp is full of recent chats of your uni friends. Yes, at the end you meet a lot of people and all amazing people and amazing friends. You go to lectures together (unless they're friend A, look at point 1 attendance for reference). You get a lot of friends and you are blessed for every single one of them if you think about the start. You keep meeting amazing people in other events around uni. To ALL of my friends: Thank You!!! <3


3. Lectures/Lessons

Start:

You attend them proper motivated and all. Pay attention and make amazing notes. You also try to stay up to date with all the content and do not miss anything because obviously the introductory assembly instructed to do so. You are a completely new person ready to learn, get first class in everything and take over the world (maybe not just yet).

Later:

You do not care anymore. At this point you are quite behind and since "first year doesn't count" you don't give a damn and all you want now is to just pass with that 40%. All motivation lost and the only reason you go to uni or lectures is to see your friends and maybe listen to what the lecturer is saying and perhaps make some notes in hopes that will help you scrape that pass. No joke, in a Human Anatomy and Physiology lecture, me and my friends found ourselves doing this:


4. Lecturers/Teachers

Start:

You think the lecturers are amazing because they are all doctorates and professors. You listen to their lectures and still try to keep thinking they are really good lecturers. Basically, everyone is good, otherwise how are they in front of you teaching you that the nucleus is composed of nucleolus, nucleoplasm and nuclear pores and it is the central storage of DNA and the site of RNA synthesis?

Later:

Since you don't care about the lecture at this point of uni, most of the lecturers are going to be boring, chatting in their own language. At this point you have an idea of who is actually a good lecturer and who is boring as hell. Often in my experience the module leaders or course leaders are the good lecturers and you don't get them as much as you want to. One of my lecturer literally only speaks about his passion for plants.

5. Travel:

Honestly, nothing changes. You take the same bus or train, taking the same time to travel to uni. At some point you have tried other routes or alternatives to reach uni quicker and it does not make any difference because it is probably longer.


Hope you enjoyed it and it helps you if you are going to start uni soon. One tip for you: don't stress or worry too much because all ends well.



Yours, Nafiza

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