Going to university can be both really fun and really daunting; you’re being thrown into a completely new situation with people who, not only have you never met before, but are from different places and have different backgrounds. I made a lot of mistakes in my first year of university, which ultimately lead to my dropping out, and I don’t want anyone else to go through the same things so I’ve come up with a list of things NOT TO DO in your first year of university.

Do not pay to join a society and then never go to any of their events
One of the best things about university is finding people with similar interests to you, and the main way to do that is by joining societies. I remember going to freshers fair and loving all of these really cool groups of people who were passionate about what they were doing and wanted to meet others who would be as equally passionate. Since I was a part English student I ended up joining the Literature Society; I paid for my membership, joined the mailing list, everything. Yet I never, not once, went to any of their meetings, dances, or fundraisers. That was possibly the biggest mistake I made. I found it much harder to find friends because I had nowhere to go where I could meet them, so maybe if I’d gone to at least one I wouldn’t have felt so out of the loop.




Do not stay isolated within your flat
Another MASSIVE one. Where my accommodation was situated, I was outside of the main university campus and I realised that because I didn’t see as many people, I tended to stay within my flat. It’s great when you get to university and you develop good friendships with the people you live with but sometimes it can get a little too much when you’re constantly surrounded by the same people everyday for a whole year. The whole point of university is to branch out and do new things, meet new people and make sure you are getting everything you need out of it. I became so lazy because I was in a much more isolated area and just thought I had my flatmates and that’s all I needed. Trust me, it’s not. If you can get out of your building every now and then, not just for lectures and seminars, your head can become clearer and you can experience more of what your university has to offer.

Do not choose your subject because it was the only one you could think of
University is all about delving more and more into a subject you love and if you don’t love that subject, you’re either going to get very bored very quickly, or you’ll hate your course altogether. That happened to me. At A Level I studied Psychology, English and Religious Studies and ultimately I came out with a lower grade in Psychology than I did the other two so I thought… why not just do a combined degree of the other two? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved English and I find Philosophy really interesting so it seemed like a good fit at the time but when I actually got to university and experienced the lectures and seminars I slowly began to realise it was the last thing I wanted to do. That’s why, as part of my gap year, I’m trying to figure out what it is that I actually really want to do. Hopefully that way, I won’t be stuck in the same situation I was before.

Do not feel trapped if you don’t like your course
This links to the previous point in that, if you find that you don’t like your course, you shouldn’t feel like you have to continue it for the next three years and be completely miserable. There are plenty of options! I know quite a few people who simply changed courses at the same university in their first year, some who changed after a year of their original course, and others, like me, who dropped out of university completely! The changing of your course really depends on how you feel about the university you’re at. I got really bored of mine so it seemed logical to drop out and find a place I could be really happy at. Remember, your happiness always comes first.



Do not stay up when you have a 9am lecture
Oh the pain of a 9am lecture. I honestly cannot tell you how many 9am lectures I actually attended in my year at university. It’s definitely less than the ones I didn’t attend. Unfortunately they’re just a fact of university and, though this’ll probably seem extremely hypocritical, they’re extremely important. I’ve done the whole thing of trying to catch up with the slides online and it never works. Just go to bed early and drink tons of coffee in the morning. One of the tricks I had to keep myself awake, which I struggled with constantly and I definitely actually fell asleep in a couple of my 9ams, is to just keep writing. Even if what the lecturer is saying isn’t actually applicable to the lesson, just write it. Keeping your hands busy means no snoring in a silent lecture hall.

Do not expect everyone to like you
This one applies very well to life in general but is particularly prevalent at university. The thing is, everyone there is different. You’ll meet people you never imagined could exist. You’ll meet international students who have had lives so much more different to your own. You’ll meet people from 10 minutes away from your hometown who may be just as different. Whilst this is usually a good thing, sometimes you’ll find people you just don’t get along with. And that’s okay. Not everyone is going to like everyone. If you just be yourself and do the things you want to do, you’ll find your people.



Do not lose contact with your friends back home
I was never the kind of person who had a massive group of friends in school. By the end of sixth form I had a few people who I trusted and spent time with. Sadly, I only really kept in contact with one of them, and even that was sparse at times. Luckily we live in an age where there are tons of ways to keep in contact with everyone we know – Snapchat is a favourite of mine. You might be one of those people who just wants to leave your life back home behind, and that’s completely okay, but I think maintaining your relationships with people from your past can be extremely grounding as to staying who you are. Plus, who are you going to hang out with during the holidays when you get home?

Do not take all criticism to heart
There were a lot of times at university where I spent hours and hours on one particular piece of work, only to get it back and it be completely wrong. I have to admit, I did not take it well. Paranoia always seemed to flare up at that point and I’d think I was a terrible person and my tutor hated me and I’d never accomplish anything. That’s not true. Life has its setbacks and getting constructive criticism is a massive part of univeristy. After all, the whole point is to make your work better.

Do not expect to be number one in every class
I’ve always had a problem with being average. I don’t want this to sound like I’m boasting but I was usually the top of my class at school (only in certain subjects of course – maths & science are definitely not my thing). So when I got to university and met these completely different people from, I’m not going to sugar-coat it, better schools where they were given better educations, it came as a massive shock. I know this has happened to my friends as well and it’s becoming a problem in our education system where we’re constantly telling students that they’re amazing and above average, so that when they do face struggles they feel like there’s something wrong with them. I’m not saying we should stop encouraging students but sometimes too much praise can be harmful. So remember that university is totally different to high school and college/sixth form. You really shouldn’t expect anything but by expecting to be number one, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You should always strive to be number one, but it’s all about going at your own pace and not despairing if you aren’t rated as highly as you were before.

Do not compare your grades to other people’s
Everyone is different. I could not make that more clear. We all have completely different writing styles and perspectives so it would be unfair to compare your work and the results you gained to someone else’s. A lot of the time I found myself comparing my grade to my flatmates, which was completely wrong since none of them actually did my course. This happens a lot in schools where you’ll be made to feel terrible because someone else did better. Of course you’d love to be up there with the higher grades but all it means is that you’re going at your own rate. Intelligence is completely relative and just because your writing is not as polished as someone else’s does not mean that you are less intelligent. People can be very competitive at university so it’s important to remember that your own work comes first and it doesn’t matter what grades anyone else gets as you’re there to better yourself and enhance your own abilities.

Do not go to university if you are not ready
It feels appropriate to end the post with this point considering where I’m at right now. One thing I didn’t admit to anyone, not even to myself, is that I wasn’t ready for university. All summer I felt like I was being forced into going by my parents, teachers, friends. It was that thought that burrowed into my brain and ultimately made me think that I should have taken a gap year before ever going to university. I could have gone traveling or gotten a job and made some money before I made the huge step to go. But I didn’t, and I don’t see the point in regretting what’s already been done because it can’t be changed. I’m taking my time out now to figure out what I want to do and who knows what might happen in the next year. I may decide not to go to university at all, and that’s okay. I just know that I wasn’t ready at the time and that was a huge factor for me when I decided it was right for me to drop out – a decision I’m happy I made.