As of yesterday, my first year of university is officially over! That means I survived my first year of uni and, honestly I am really happy - not because I hate uni or anything but because I've made it to the end of the year! I have to say though, somethings are different to how I imagined them to be, so here is a sum-up of my first year of university...


Living away from home:
It shocked me how much more independent I have become since moving away from home. Yes, it was hard in the first few weeks but once I had settled in, I found that I was becoming more independent by the day. I mean I didn't notice this until I went home for Christmas and suddenly I couldn't eat chocolate at 1am (sorry parents!) without being judged but there's just so much freedom associated with making your own choices. I mean, not all of it is good - like banking will always be a pain - but you get to decide your own food, bedtime (which sounds childish but if you want to stay awake until 3am watching HSM then no-one can stop you!) and when you're going to go out without having to consult parents or check to see if you're visiting your great-Aunt Bertha on that day...

I love Lincoln Cathederal (my photo)

Lectures:
Yes, some are boring but not all. Lectures shouldn't be boring if you like the course/module you're on, I've loved some modules and hated others and the ones that I've hated have had the most boring lectures but I guess you can't like everything and you might even surprise yourself and find a deep love for something obscure on your course. I like lectures because you just get spoken at for an hour and you just have to write it down, for a 9am on a Monday morning, it's not a totally awful way to start your day

Seminars:
I've actually enjoyed seminars (shock) but as a chatty person (again, shock) I enjoy bouncing ideas off people and having a mini-discussion... about books! My seminars are like a book club, which sounds strange but when you consider I do English so our seminars literally revolve around one novel, then my course is a book club... only with more essays and debt but whatever! Yes, some seminars drag, especially when the book is boring *cough*grapesofwrath *cough* but I've read and enjoyed so many books this year that the good outweighs the bad.

People:

Drunken shenanigans...

I have met some great people while at uni. When I got my results and found out what flat I was in, I was stressing over whether I would like my flatmates or get on with people on my course but everybody is lovely and approachable and I feel like I've made some friends for life in my flatmates. I love being surrounded by people my own age and it makes making friends soo much easier, plus its a bonus when you're from a small town because suddenly there's a lot more people to talk to!

Anxieties abut uni:
Honestly, I am a worrier so I made soo many unnecessary problems for myself when I received my results. Before getting my results there was always that 'if' factor where I tried to convince myself that I wouldn't have to worry in case I didn't get in, but then I did and I started worrying about random stuff! I got to uni and everything just sort of fell into place, you sort of work things out as you go and things are never as bad as you imagined them to be! If I could go back in time to tell myself that everything would work out I would, although I don't think past-me would believe me!


Good/Bad as you thought?:

We actually went to a JB event...

Honestly, better than I thought! I did a lot of research before hand about which uni I would pick so that I knew I was making the right choice but nothing compares to being here. Over this year I have learnt that I need to let go and have fun more, because your course and your social life goes hand in hand, if you're indoors all the time then you won't experience the social life of uni and vice versa. By all means work hard, but don't let uni work be the be-all-and-end-all of your time there.

I feel like that comprehensively sums up my first year, I can't believe it's officially done! Doesn't seem like 2 minutes ago that everything I own was in the back of my Dad's car and I was moving in! How time flies... Can't wait for the summer though!

Lottie :)