10 Things I've Learned During First Year

Hey guys!

Since its 2 weeks until freshers week - yes 2 WEEKS!! The last 3 and a half months have gone far too quick! - I've decided to share with you all 10 things that I have learned during my first year of university.

1. Come out of your comfort zone. You won't be able to experience new and exciting stuff fully without doing so. Break free and you will amaze yourself of what you can do when you put your mind to it.

 

2. Stop putting yourself down. I'm really bad at putting myself down all the time. When I stopped doing that with my coursework, I began to love my drawing and design style and began to love my work a lot more and looked at it in a different perspective.

 

3. Ask questions. Who cares if no one else does? Ask your lil' heart away. Everyone else is probably wondering the same thing, so grow some balls and ask a lecturer yourself. It shows them you're wanting to learn and do well in that certain subject.

 

4. Stay after hours. Yeah, this might make you a 'geek' or a 'dork' or whatever but if you need more time with the resources provided stay until you're too tired to work anymore. I done this a few times leading up to hand-ins, either in the computer suites to type up essays and finish things for CAD or the sewing workshop to finish a paper pattern for a dress etc. It helped me so much and those extra hours helped me achieve the grades I got and I couldn't be more thankful.

 

5. It's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world. Any excuse for a relaxing drink with friends after a stressful and hard day at uni.

 

6. Read, read, READ! Maybe reading isn't your strong point but it helps so so much! If a lecturer recommends a book, get it. Do not hesitate and say 'awk I doubt I'll need that, I'll just get the notes from lectures'. Don't be that guy. I agree that notes from lectures do help but doing extra reading for a subject makes a huge difference and you'll feel a lot more confident coming up to exam time. I know I certainly did.

 

7. University is not High School. You have the freedom to do things when you want to do them. No one can tell you otherwise (unless you live with your parents like me lols). You get treated as an adult and it feels great. There are more people like you than you thought. You thought you were the only weird one? Think again.

 

8. You grow as a person. This may be an obvious point but to me, I never thought it was possible to do so as quick as it did. In a year I have become a more independent and confident person. I don't care (as much) what people think of me, I'm not afraid to show off what I can do and I've made amazing friends when doing so. 

 

9. Don't leave finishing deadlines to the last minute. I done this a few times last year and I regretted it big time. Even though I handed everything in and passed, I was rushing at the last minute. For two or three of my hand-ins I was, no joke, still finishing it 5 minutes before the time was up. So much stress and frustration builds up and you think of giving up but you just can't! Make sure you get it all completed in plenty of time and have a relaxing hand-in morning instead of basically dying and crawling to your lecturer with your work.

 

10. And finally, always do what makes you happy. Laugh as loud and as much as you can; act stupid with your friends; if a way of working starts to get boring - spice it up a little. Be spontaneous. You don't need to dress or act a way to please someone - be you. Turn up to classes in your pjs, does it matter what other people think? No, not really. Don't feel like you can't act yourself or do something you love because there will always be someone there waiting to find someone with the same interests as them. You're not alone.

 

University may not be for everyone, but some of these points can relate to anywhere. Keep doing you and don't stop for anyone.

Hope you're all having a great day!

 

Cara x