Uni life, the truth.

University survival, it's easier than you might think. I have seen various posts popping up on my favourite blogs featuring tips and advice to people starting university this year. I love reading these types of posts because it makes me quite nostalgic. Also because I wish I'd been able to read them when I started. I finished uni in June this year and because I can't quite accept that it's all over, I thought I'd add my two cents worth of information for those lucky enough to be freshers. I really want to address some of the myths and hype about uni life that are widespread and share my personal experiences. This really isn't a post dictating what you should or shouldn't do but I thought I'd mention aspects that other people haven't covered as much.

It's ok to miss home. It's also ok if you don't.
This might make me sound heartless but in my three years at uni I never found myself feeling particularly homesick. I obviously missed my family and was always glad to see them when I went home. I felt like my uni life was separate to my home life and so when I was at uni I didn't think too much about home. Much to my mum's annoyance I'd rarely call home or visit too frequently. I love my family as much as the next person but uni became my home whilst I was there. I think I appreciated going 'home home' for Christmas and short breaks much more than I would if I'd been back all the time. Having said that give your parents a little text every so often to let them know you're alive!

It's ok if you don't like the people you live with.
Everyone thinks they will make good friends with the people you live with. In some cases this happens and these people are the lucky ones. In most other cases there is someone who annoys you or who you would never chose to speak to again after sharing a living space with them. Don't stress if you feel like you don't fit in with your flatmates, which brings me onto my next point.

Everyone finds someone at uni.
My uni experience is probably different to a lot of other peoples in that me and my best friend went to the same uni, so I knew I'd always have her there if I needed her. Despite this I did make my own new friends too. Whether it be people on your course, friends from a society you've joined or a random person you met in a nightclub toilet. There really is someone for everyone friend wise. Don't be afraid to let your personality show, even if you are shy there will be people who will want to be your friend.

It's ok if you don't want to go out all the time.
It may make you feel like the biggest social reject at the time but if you don't feel like another night drinking suspiciously blue pints and throwing up then don't do it. If you want to do this then go ahead. If not, you will find other people who will like to do other things. Uni nights out are some of the best you'll have but also I imagine going out dressed as a smurf for the third night in a row can get pretty tiresome if you don't enjoy that kind of thing.

Don't buy the books off the reading list straight away.
I bought one book for my course in the whole time I was at uni. I did try to do at least some reading for each seminar I went to but most of these were accessible at the library or online. Your loan will only stretch so far and there's no point using it for books if they aren't vital.

And obviously ENJOY IT!
I did enjoy my uni experience as a whole and I am certainly glad that I made the decision to go. It's like no other time in your life and you will meet people you may never have met other wise. Plus you get to be supremely lazy and justify everything with the phrase 'I'm a student'. When else could you have a daily nap, get discount in your favourite stores, build a snowman at 1am and go out in some of the strangest fancy dress possible? The time will fly by so don't waste your time stressing.

This post ended up being pretty wordy so I'm amazed if you're still reading. What would you tell freshers given the chance?