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It seems like just yesterday I was about to start my first year of university. I was beyond scared. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It is such a big transition from high school to university and everything might change in your life so here are a few things I wish I knew before starting that scary new chapter in my life. Now that I have survived university for an entire year, I’m basically an expert on the whole uni experience, right? Wrong. But these things are still very valid.
- Breakdowns happen– During my second week of freshman year, I had the worst breakdown at 3am. I had a lab the next morning at 8am and I was trying to finish the prelab assignment. I literally lost my mind. Here I was, sobbing and planning to withdraw from university. I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it past that moment. But I did. Breakdowns are a part of life. There are going to be times in your life when you feel like everything is falling apart. But, take a deep breath and move past it. You’ll be fine.
- You need sleep– Don’t pull all-nighters. If you manage your time well and effectively, there isn’t a need to miss out on sleep. Sure, you might have to stay up till 4am finishing an assignment but always make sure you get some sleep before the morning or else you can basically count the next day as wasted. You need that sleep to function.
- Don’t be afraid to talk to people– You are entering university where there are 30,000 new faces you have never seen before. Take advantage of this and make some new friends. Trust me, they all want to do the same and seeing familiar faces in your classes makes life a thousand times easier.
- Everyone doesn’t know what they’re doing– As much as I like my pity parties, I have to realize that I’m not alone when I realize I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. Everyone is in the same boat. We are all going through this four year journey of discovering what interests us and what we want to pursue. Very few people know exactly what they want to do as soon as they first step onto campus.
- Some friends aren’t meant to be– I hate to lose a friend. I’m the type of person who needs a million friends around me at all times to be happy. But sometimes, those friends don’t have your best interest at heart and you need to be able to recognize that and let them go. It’s not worth it when they’re causing you more suffering than happiness.
- Don’t listen to people telling you how to live your life– So many people tried to tell me what faculty I should go into or what classes I should take. They thought they knew my future better than me and I started to believe that too. Listen to their advice but don’t necessarily follow it. They don’t know you any more than you do.
- Sometimes, you need to be independent– As I’ve said before, I need people around me at all times. I am a people person. But in university, you sometimes need to be alone. One of my biggest things that I learnt in my first year was exploring the university by myself and finding places to study where there wasn’t a single person to interact with. I could then focus on myself and exactly what I need to do.
- Take advantage of the resources– There are so many things at university that are going to help you and make your university experience a lot easier. Go talk to staff, counselors, student peers, etc. They are all there to assist you and make this transition go a whole lot smoother.
- Don’t be afraid of failing– You’re going to fail at some point. Maybe you will fail a test, maybe you will fail a class, maybe you will forget to hand in an assignment. As much as it sucks, it’s going to happen sometime in these four years (If it doesn’t, congrats!). It’s not the end of the world and you will still survive, I promise.
- Have fun– University is supposed to be one of the best (and worst) times of your life so take advantage of it! These are the last few years before you actually enter adulthood. University holds so many fun and exciting opportunities. So, go to parties, hang out with friends, join clubs, have the time of your life!
For more tips and tricks, check out myUniversity Advicepost!
What do you wish you told your freshman self?