When you have a 5,000 word essay, a presentation, a reference list- the longest ever (as always) and if that wasn’t enough, your deadline is only two weeks away. The panic is enough for you to eat a great big block of chocolate, even though your stomach is in knots from nervousness.
It’s stressed me out just writing it, because I look back at my years at university and remember the late night assignments.
The nights where everyone would be asleep and I’d be awake, filling the page with words like journalistically, analysis and ethics, staring at my laptop screen till early hours of the morning.
Unfortunately there wasn’t the advantage of being in the library at university at such a late time. Almost six years later and wow, what a change! I read an article by BBC on how students are ‘partying’ in the library rather than at student union bar or night-club, they aren’t partying either but instead studying.
One of the lines I read says: “It would be unusual to see such a busy library in the middle of the day, but here it’s buzzing in the middle of the night. There are groups of students coming and going, talking in a cafe – and overnight library figures show there were still more than 100 students there at 03:30.” The library is at Reading University.
Now that’s saying something!
Gone are the days where student life was filled with late night parties, drinking, banter and crawling into halls at 5am, changed for group-study, pages of lecture notes, assignments and studying like clockwork in no other place better than of course the library. Where distractions are as far as the student halls and accommodation, snacks are at hand and best of all you aren’t alone- all your friends have joined you. As the fees have surged to a shocking £9,000 per year students have every right to be requesting 24-hour libraries.
University life is hard, harder than people think, from seminars to lectures, group work to assignments, those three years are long and tiring yet are over before you can bat an eyelid. Three of the longest and challenging years of life will be at university, if you’re studying a degree right now or are preparing to then below are top 3 tips of how to handle student life and what comes with it…
Top 3
1. Study- as much as you can! As hard as it may be, it is the only thing that will get you the grades you need and the dream job for the effort you put in and I promise it will pay off. The hours on end in the library and spent revising with pages of notes around you, will be your best friend and your door to the big wide world. Study and don’t be afraid, remember you didn’t spend £32,000 for nothing.
2. Be organised- this is crucial, whether it be organising your time wisely or making sure your assignment notes are in chronological order, each are important as one another. They will be the reason you don’t panic when it comes to writing your dissertation, preparing your presentation or submitting assignments a week before the deadline in perfect condition.
3. Enjoy it- make the most of your time, university is said to be the best three years of life, the years where friendships which last a life-time are formed and the fun times you have will be laughed at and remembered years later. University is somewhere you will learn, be challenged, grow, mature and learn a lot from life and of course your degree. You may not have this opportunity again so above everything, enjoy it!
