Starting university in September 2020 meant I didn’t have the first year I had originally planned.
Nevertheless, we made the most of this unusual freshers experience. As first year is quickly coming to a close, I’ve been reflecting upon the last few months. It’s been a learning experience but I’ve really enjoyed it so I thought I’d share with you some advice and anecdotes I’ve picked up from the past few months.
Student life doesn’t have to centre around alcohol and clubbing
Don’t get me wrong, we still managed to consume an unhealthy amount of alcohol and are certainly looking forward to clubs reopening. However, drinking has been less of central feature of my student experience and honestly, I quite like it this way. Student drinking culture sounds expensive and exhausting and we’ve found so many other ways to have a good time.
Friends from home are still so important
Everyone always told me that I would drift from my home friends after sixth-form but even after having barely seen them over the last year, they’re still such an important part of my life. Naturally there are some people I have drifted from but I’m going to make even more of an effort to maintain friendships from home when life begins to return to some sort of normality.
I’m terrible at getting out of bed when I don’t need to
The 2 metre commute from my bed to my desk has meant I’ve become a master at getting out of bed just in time for my class to start, or sometimes just doing my class from my bed. Distance learning has removed any travel time from my daily routine and unfortunately I have discovered I have no self-discipline and instead of getting up at the same time and doing something productive, I would much rather take the extra hour in bed. Perhaps not a habit that I want to continue.
There are so many ways to switch up Friday nights at home
Being stuck at home really forced me and my flat to get creative in order to make drinking in our student kitchen seem less depressing and stops all the nights blurring into one. You can pretty much turn anything into a theme night; my personal favourite so far has been a children’s birthday party theme that we did for my flatmate’s birthday. It’s a little strange at first but after a few weeks, you really get into it.
I’m better at adapting to and coping with unpredictable circumstances than I thought I would be
I was an absolute mess when the first lockdown was announced. Maybe we’re all just getting used to being repeatedly disappointed or maybe we’re getting better at dealing with unexpected change. I considered taking a year out because I really didn’t want to do university online but my course is entirely online at the moment. I’m managing pretty well and I’m quite proud of myself for that.
My university experience doesn’t have to be and won’t be the same as other people’s
University has certainly been not what expected or planned but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been good. I’ve actually really enjoyed myself. It doesn’t matter what other people do or think. It’s my experience and that’s what makes it special.
Having a nicely decorated room is key
You end up spending most of the day in your room so it just makes it a little bit easier if your room feels homely. Some of my flatmates’ rooms are sparsely decorated and they look prison-like and unlived in. It doesn’t take much effort, but it really boosts your mood. It also definitely helps to keep it tidy – but I’m not so good at this one!
You can still forge meaningful friendships with those around you
One of my biggest worries about moving to university during a pandemic was that I wouldn’t be able to make proper friends. I’ve certainly met fewer people than I would have in other years but I’ve been able to bond with those I have met over these peculiar circumstances. I’ve known these people for less than a year but having been the only people I’ve seen for months, I can’t imagine them not being in my life anymore.
It’s okay to be overwhelmed sometimes
University in itself can be overwhelming and hard to navigate, throw in a pandemic to the mix and its even weirder. I’m learning to be more forgiving of myself and to not demand too much of myself. Allowing myself time to process everything and take it all in feels strange but is undeniably important.
Some of it will suck. And that’s ok
You can enjoy university without enjoying every moment. There have been moments when I wished I was somewhere else or doing something else but that doesn’t mean I disliked all of it. As with anything, university has good parts and bad parts. You’re allowed to not like all of it, and it would be weird if you did.
Above all, I’ve learned that I can make the most out of situations that I didn’t necessarily plan for, which is something I intend to carry forward. Hopefully, the next cohorts will have a slightly more normal experience but I do hope some of the things myself and other students have learnt this year stick around.
Ella Gilbert
Tweet to @ellagilbertx
Featured image courtesy of Steinar Engeland on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Ella Gilbert
Ella is History and Spanish student at the University of Sheffield. She is the social media manager for Empoword and a keen writer for various publications. When not writing or studying (which is far more often than she'd like to admit), you can find her exploring the outdoors, going out for drinks with friends, or in bed with Netflix and TikTok.