Leaving uni
A realistic Guide to life at UCLan - written by students!
The months have turned to weeks, and days until the nightmare is over: Dissertation deadline day! The final year of University is a strange time, there seems to be a thousand more deadlines than the past two put together, your dissertation has taken over 95% of your life, you are sleep deprived and stress has taken over. You feel like you can’t do it. There were plenty of times I have cried, stropped and (once) hid my laptop in my cupboard so I didn’t have to look at it. No matter how far behind, or stuck you think you are you can do it! As soon as I handed that hideous document in I was overjoyed! I wish I could say I headed straight to the pub but no, another deadline was creeping up.
As my last EVER University assignment was being handed in I was chuffed, I felt like I could finally relax – the first time since September! After a week of re-living first year – getting up at mid day, watching the end of ‘This Morning’ and ‘Loose Women’ etc. I decided it was time for the - what next? I got a pen and pad and Googled my options. I found it very strange, for 20 years my path had been clear – School, College, Uni... but now? Nothing! I spent months searching desperately for a job, application after application, interview after interview; all I wanted was a job! Then I discovered Futures’ placement scheme. Within the first week of searching I had interviews for three internships.
My advice to second, third (and even first years) is get as MUCH experience as possible! I did a few voluntary placements during University but today the more experience the better! If you can show you’ve had experience as well as a degree you will improve your employability so much. Make sure you check Futures at least once a week and anything you can do to improve your CV – do it! It really will help you!!