The highs and lows of uni
A realistic Guide to life at UCLan - written by students!
By female student, 19, BSc(Hons) Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation
Last year I had plenty of friends, I liked my lectures and I found it so easy to make friends – until everything went down hill. I began to hate my course, began to hate getting out of bed and didn’t think £6000 [student fees and loan debt] a year was worth it. I remember being told last September that I would love university, and then hate it, then love it again. I have never heard anything more true in my life – there are times when you will walk out of lectures smiling and there are times when getting out of bed seems like too much effort.
I changed my course, moved out of my halls and moved in with my best friends from college, positive change or negative? Either way, it happened. I’m happier today than I was this time last year, regardless of arguments over washing machines, rotas and chores, working or vacuuming, I’m still happier.
You may have arguments over the silliest of things; washing up, cleaning up, or maybe even about the type of bread you use, You will probably run out of money, you’ll probably drink too much and you will make a fool of yourself – but that is all part of being at University. Including the bitching, the debating, the working, the planning, the nights out, the arguing, the missing home and the socialising, but at the end of the day we are now independent and grown up. If we want to smoke, we will, if we want to drink too much then we will, if we want to stay up all night we will – just beware of the cost. Staying up all night and waking up next to some random ‘bird/dude’ that you’ve “pulled” might be cool for you, but finishing year one just scraping through, is that “cool”? Was it worth that ‘chick/dude’? Or even staying up all night? “Oh well first year doesn’t count”, well I’m sorry but it does. First year is your chance to make an impression on your tutors, to make yourself known in your department and to prove to everyone what you are capable of.
Note from the TAG Team: The people you end up living with in the halls tends to be luck of the draw. The Accommodation Service are at hand to give you help and advice should you find yourself in a situation where you cannot resolve your differences with your flatmates.
I’m unhappy when I walk into a lecture with hundreds of people and find not one person to sit with, so maybe when you are in a lecture and you see someone sat alone, go over and introduce yourself – nobody likes to be alone, except maybe the Grinch, needless to say, that somebody sat alone may very well be you. Would you appreciate someone making an effort? I thought so, so live, love, and enjoy life because after the next three years, you’ll be making your own way.
Note from the TAG Team: Lecture sizes can vary from as little as 10 people to as many as 500 people attending the same lecture. No matter how many people attending a lecture it can still be daunting, but remember, everyone is in the same boat.