8 Things You Will Learn In Your First Year

September 29, 2012
By: Catherine Hilldrup

1. 1.       Your liver is actually made of steel

No matter how much you drink (especially during freshers week) and how awful you claim to feel the morning after- stumbling out of your room, rambling incoherently to your flatmates and struggling to find the paracetamol amidst a sea of cans, wine bottles and shot glasses- you will not die, and you will still go out the next night, and the night after that.

1. 2.       You flatmates are not going to murder you

No matter what anyone says, getting up and leaving your family, friends and your home town IS a difficult time. Whether you’re the most outgoing, bubbly person in the world, or a shy recluse who would rather cower in your room, GET TO KNOW your flatmates, chances are they’re actually pretty decent.

1. 3.       Don’t freak out about the workload

A lot of us have chosen university because we believe we are hard working intellectuals and want to have a good start to our career. The other half want the student discount, the endless nights of drinking and causing ultimate destruction. There CAN be a balance between the two. If your essay isn’t a ground making piece of literary phenomenon- you still have time. Remember, your first year is a chance for you to figure out your writing style and adjust to the different teaching technique. Your tutors are people too, they understand.

1. 4.       In a few months, your toaster will break

Chances are, you’ve gone out to Ikea and bought all these weird and wonderful things for your new room and kitchen which is fabulous because it’s YOURS. Your new cutlery set is a sure sign of your new found independence. If you wake up after a night out and find someone has stuck a knife into your toaster, don’t worry, you can buy a new one relatively cheaply.

1. 5.       Don’t take drinking games TOO seriously

Nothing is worse than sitting at pre drinks and feeling so compelled to drink that you actually don’t drink much at all. Of course, I am not encouraging you to collapse in a drunken stupor, just don’t take these games too seriously, they’re supposed to be FUN. Not an opportunity for rules to be enforced in your free time as well as your academic time.

1. 6.       Cheesy chips are the work of culinary wizardry

What more can I really say? When you’re stumbling out of a club and you’re wondering how to screw your head back on, find your nearest take away and you’ll soon be thanking the heavens that some genius granted us this miracle.

1. 7.       Don’t feel pressured into securing a house for your second year too quickly

Student housing is a controversial topic, I myself have already experienced issues with my landlord 3 months into my contract. You don’t need to rush into it, you DO have time. If you haven’t got a house sorted by Christmas time, you’re not necessarily going to end up living in a shack where the ceiling is falling in. Go and see different properties, figure out your price range and most importantly decide who you’d be comfortable living with for another year. In the end, it will all come together perfectly.

1. 8.       Remember that you have to pay back your overdraft at some point

Being in control of your own finances can be both rewarding and daunting. Once you get your first payment, no doubt your bank account will never have looked so appealing. DON’T spend it all at once. Food, bills, drinking, clubbing, text books etc all add up, and you don’t want to end up having no money during the holidays either!

You know what they say- Carpe diem! Think of university as an opportunity to learn things on your own. You’ll never have the opportunity to live this way again. Take all of the free things offered to you (which will happen in abundance) and throw yourself  into anything you’re passionate about. After all, you never know where you’re going to end up- in a bin behind your local pub or the president of your favourite society!