10 Life Lessons from Uni - First Year

With my first year of uni done, I've made some great friends, worked really hard, and I've been extremely happy with my results. As well as what I've learned on my actual course, I've learned some pretty important life lessons. Obviously, my experiences and views on them won't be the same as everyone else's, but I'd still like to share my top 10 life lessons that I've learned this year.

School drama no longer matters

In most cases, arguments and drama that happened in school just seem petty and irrelevant when you go to uni (and probably just when you leave school in general). You can leave all of it behind and stop carrying any negative feelings that came with it. Obviously, you still have the lessons learned from those arguments, but there's no need to cling onto anything that makes you unhappy.

The chances are you won't even see anyone that you had those arguments with, and if you do, you've probably both moved on enough to politely say hi or make small talk (you don't even have to do that if you don't want to).

If you really value someone's friendship after school then you'll probably make time to see them or at least chat if you do cross paths; if anyone brought so much negativity into your life that you'd rather not have to think about them, then don't.

I've found that university helps to put things into perspective, and those silly little arguments from school really don't deserve the time and energy you may have once given them. In a way, you can use university as a fresh start, and leave any negative feelings from school behind you.

There's a lot less pressure to be on trend

If your school life was anything like mine, there was often a certain pressure to keep up with new trends. Even something like having the best new phone would make you think people would like you more, or find you more interesting. At university, this is very different.

Having materialistic things doesn't make people like you more as a person, and although a lot of us know that during school, we still tend to worry about what others think of us. I'm very pleased to say that I haven't found the same pressure in university - maybe it's because you're in charge of your own money more, maybe it's about maturity.

One of the great things about this is that it gives you a chance to learn about yourself more - you don't buy and do things because it's trendy, you now have and do things just because that's what you want, regardless of what anyone else will think.

Organisation is key

Something I've really focused on this year is being more organised (it gives me an excuse to buy pretty stationery, which helps).

There's a huge difference between how I coped with A levels and university, and part of that is down to organisation. One tip I've learned is to get the hardest bit out of the way first - do any work you have as soon as possible, then it's over with and you can relax, socialise, or anything else that you want to do.

Also, I didn't quite realise how different it would be not seeing those familiar faces from school. For most of us, we spend every day with the same selection of people for years, and of course I knew I wouldn't see those people at uni, but it did surprise me how different it feels. Because of this, it's more important to stay organised so you can arrange to meet up with friends and family, and still have time to do your work and socialise with people at uni.

I've found that my diary and whiteboard have helped me to stay more organised, as I can clearly see what I'm doing each day and how much free time I have. This has been great for scheduling in hobbies - I think I'd be a lot more stressed if I couldn't fit in my dance classes.

Everyday household chores

This is a practical (and more boring) life lesson that I've learned, but it's still worth mentioning.

Of course, unless you're living at home, you can't really avoid the slightly quieter side of uni: doing the laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, etc. In a way, this is great because they're essential to life and you've got to get used to them at some point. Even if you've done all of these things before uni, you learn to create a routine when they're a daily task. Also, it's a good chance to develop teamwork if you're sharing rooms like a kitchen or bathroom with other people. A lot of people end up making a rota for everyone to do different chores each day, and also for buying communal things like soap. I know, it's an incredibly exciting topic, but it's still a big part of uni life.

Everyone's different, and that's what makes them interesting

It's cliche, but it couldn't be more truthful. The most fascinating conversations are often with people very different from you. At university the vast numbers of people mean that you're constantly surrounded by diversity, giving you the opportunity to learn about various cultures and interests.

It also means that you're bound to find people you get on with, so there's no need to change who you are to fit in. Anyway, it's important to be able to socialise with different groups of people because not everyone you meet will have had the same upbringing and interests as you.

This is definitely a lesson I'm pleased to have learned. With the societal pressures during school and the growing ideas of what defines beauty, it's such a relief to be in an environment so diverse that people don't really have much choice but to embrace differences.

Basically what I'm saying is that most people find differences in each other compelling, so don't try to be the same as everyone else; sometimes the more different two people are, the more interesting stories they can share with each other.

Getting a work-life balance can be tricky, but essential

This is a skill that I've never got right before, but I finally feel like I'm getting there.

Having a balance between socialising and working is incredibly important; one one hand, you've just met a bunch of new people who you want to spend time with, on the other, you're doing a degree which is going to be challenging and will require a lot of work. You may only get one chance to do your degree so it's wise to work hard, but socialising and relaxing are incredibly important too.

Over the past year I've found that sometimes I have had to sacrifice going out with friends because I've had too much work to do or an important lab/exam the next day, but to stop this happening as much, I do any assignments/revision as soon as possible. This means that if an event comes up or my friends want to do something then I'm free to go.

My diary has been one of my most useful tools this year as it's allowed me to see how much time I have before each deadline, so often I've been able to socialise freely knowing that I'll still be able to get my work done. This also helps me because I can be quite a stressy person if I feel like my workload is becoming overwhelming, so  I always make sure I set aside time to do my work. Remember: you have to prioritise, but mental health and happiness should always come first.

As well as this, I've found that going to dance classes every week is really helpful because it guarantees that for at least one hour every week, I can forget about uni work. If you have a hobby and you're able to pursue it while being at uni, I'd definitely recommend it!

You get out what you put in

Now, most of you have probably spent your life in school being told what to do - this changes at university. You no longer have teachers telling you off for not handing in homework; you can miss a few lectures without anyone asking where you were; you won't be given detentions for your behaviour; you usually won't be asked to stay longer for extra help if you're falling behind. The majority of the responsibility will now be yours. There's definitely help at university if you're struggling in any way, but it's up to you to ask for it and ensure people are aware of your situation. As for punishments, instead of receiving detentions for not completing work, you'll have consequences of your own if you find that you don't understand the topic in the following weeks and exams/coursework.

This is a great rule for life in general: you get out what you put in.

If you work hard at uni, put in the extra work when you can and ask for help when you need it, you'll get better results. You won't receive punishments in the same ways that you did in school if you don't care about your studies, but you'll probably not reach your full potential.

University is definitely about pushing yourself to become an independent learner. For every lecture/seminar/lab you receive, you're supposed to do your own work on and around the topics too. My advice to anyone starting uni would be to keep on top of your work but look after your mental health and leave time to socialise and relax.

This is your chance to take control of your life a little more, learn about yourself and prove what you can do.

Budgeting and the weekly food shop

This one was more important than I expected. When I first started uni, I found myself spending much more on food than I had anticipated. Even though I was trying to be sensible with each thing that I was buying, it mounted up quickly and I realised that I was probably spending too much. In the end I set a budget for food shopping each week (plus buying the odd things like paper, pens, etc), and some weeks I wouldn't even spend it all, meaning that it didn't matter if other times I went a bit over.

Something that helped me stick to my budget was making more food than I needed and putting some of it in tubs in the fridge or freezer. This is such a cheap way of making the most out of what you've got; it gives you meals that you can eat later in the week instead of spending loads on food every day.

On a little side note, uni life is renowned for its unhealthy nature (alcohol, sleep patterns, more control over what you eat, etc), but I've found that in some ways it's made me healthier. For instance, I used to jump at the chance to have fast food because I didn't have it that often at home, but when I was at uni I was living right in the middle of fast food places and the novelty kind of wore off. This also meant that I was spending less on food as I chose to cook more (most of the time).

It doesn't matter if you don't have your whole life planned out

I've always been one of those people who thinks they have to know what career they want in the future. Everyone around me has always had some sort of idea about where they're going in life or what area they'd want to work in. It's great if you do know, but you could still change your mind and that's absolutely fine too.

I didn't have a clue what I'd like to do before I started uni - I just knew I liked biology and I was quite interested in medicine, so I'm trying biomedical science (and it's fab).

Don't feel like you're the only one who hasn't got it all figured out yet! Just just keep adding skills and qualifications to your repertoire, building life experiences and have an open mind; at any point in your life you could discover your dream job. There are jobs out there now that didn't even exist that long ago (like blogging and being a Youtuber), so you never know where your life's going to take you.

I still don't know what I'd like to do because I like so many different things, and I don't think that's a bad thing it all - it's better than not liking anything! Also, I know people who have completed multiple degrees, had various jobs, and still say they're looking for new things to try. You don't need to have one job your whole life and work up to that - you can, but it's definitely not essential.

Try different things and work hard at them, but don't worry if you're starting uni (or in the middle of it, like me) and haven't yet decided on a career path yet.

Time is valuable

One of the best things I can take away from the past year is appreciating time a lot more. I've been so busy with work - trying to fit in hobbies and arranging to meet friends and family - that half the time I've even needed to schedule when to relax! However, there are some positives to come from this... Before uni, I never truly appreciated the time I spent with friends and family as much as I could've because I knew that they were always there. Now that I don't always get to spend much time with loved ones, the time that I do get with them is worth so much more to me.

Before I started uni, I'd lived with my parents my whole life, so I often would go days being with them but not really spending quality time. Now, if I even get the chance to see them for an hour each week, we try to fit so much into those 60 minutes to make the most of our time.

I've definitely gained a new appreciation of how important it is to value time, whether it's with loved ones, working, relaxing, or anything else. It's so important to make the most of every minute so that you can enjoy each moment and look back on fond memories.