Last year, everybody I met would offer me advice on University. It always started with ” In my opinion….” and would progress to a description of how fun their first year had been.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that each of these people were genuinely trying to help me and that advice definitely made me look forward to University. That being said, I’m in the middle of my fourth week at University and I can’t stress how different everything is. Nothing has gone exactly according to plan and nothing is what I expected. So, I decided that for you- whoever you may be- I will attempt to describe my experience so that you may gain a better understanding.
Sunsets over Mission Bay
Friends, sunsets & food
To start from the beginning; I always knew I was going to University. Personally, there was no defining moment where I decided I had to be something. Instead, my decision to go to University was a subconscious decision that I have had for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I was also convinced that I was going to be a professional football player. It took me multiple years to come the conclusion that not only would this be impractical, but it would be near impossible for a female to accomplish (especially one living in an area that lived and breathed all things rugby). Since then I have looked into Law, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and just about everything in between.
Once, I discovered a career pathway that not only looked appealing, but matched my interests. I based my subjects at school around this and invested months into University and this process.
I can truthfully say that I have never been a fan of procrastination and as a thinker, I do not like leaving things till the last minute.
Rewind to last night and there I was, at 11.57pm submitting my first University essay that was due at 11.59pm. Why would you leave it so late? Is what you are now likely to be thinking. In fact, I had finished this essay well before 11.57pm but in the final moments I decided that it desperately needed rearranging. This is the first rookie mistake made. Overthinking is not your friend. It will cause you to make silly mistakes that could have been prevented.
I am four weeks in and I have learnt more than what NCEA taught me in three years. I have spent more time doing assessments than ever before and I have had the least amount of sleep of my entire life.
In order for you to avoid submitting your first major assignment in the last two minutes, I have attached what I believe is essential to making it through the first four weeks while maintaining your sanity:
- Get enough sleep
- Get enough sleep
- Get enough sleep
Basically you need sleep to understand and to effectively carry out all the things you take for granted. For me and many others I know, daily naps have become an essential and for the first time in my life I genuinely struggle to stay awake during the day. When you start off at University, make sure that you start a routine. If you can achieve this then you will be able to study faster and spend more time doing all the adventurous stuff you want to.
That is my insight on the four weeks as I experienced them. You are more than welcome to post any questions or comments below 🙂
Daily benefits of a 8am lecture