Student life is not the easiest thing. Although it has built up a reputation of being relaxed, students know that this isn’t true; especially if you’re taking a course that’s going to lead to the career of your dreams. Like it or not, the pressure drives you to want to get the best grades.
Although it has built up a reputation that students only have two lectures a week, there is far more to it than that. It’s something that you really have to adjust to.
Some students are just built to live that life: living in the halls with like-minded people, going out all of the time and basically having complete freedom. It’s a few years’ worth of freedom that students relish in. In fact, going through the years when you go back home, you’ll actually look forward to getting back to your own life.
To say that you enter the university bubble is an understatement. When it’s over, the harsh realities of life can be super hard, because you have been living in a bubble! So, no matter what stage you’re at in your studies, or if you haven’t even started them yet, we’re going to discuss why student life is so hard, and what you can do about it!
The Course Stresses
Everyone has their opinions about courses. Some people think courses such as sport are a lot easier than law for example, and it can’t be denied that probably is the case. There are some courses that require higher grades and even experience prior to being even offered a place. Although, all degree courses are demanding in terms of workload and understanding.
Everyone has their own troubles with their course and this puts a lot of pressure on themselves to do well. It is not made easier by the fact that lecturers and other students put on the pressure for the course too. When you know how other people are doing with work and how far ahead they are, you can’t help but feel stressed with the stage that you’re at, and if you’re making the same amount of progress they are. But the best advice that we can give is just to go with your own flow.
- Don’t put the pressure on to match the work that others are doing.
- Do the work in your own time, but never leave it until the last minute. Although you might be able to produce work if you leave it until the last minute, it’s not necessarily going to be the best work that you can produce.
- Always talk to your lecturers for advice, and share tips with other people on your course!
Last Minute Nightmares
So talking about “last minuters”, we want to talk about some of the nightmares that can happen when you do leave it until the last minute. One of the biggest nightmares is not actually knowing what you have to do.
If you’re a last-minute, it will often be the case that you haven’t even thought about the work until then. So it leaves you embarrassed to ask anyone what to do because they’ve all started it. Then you’re stuck trying to figure out what to do, as well as actually do it, in such a short amount of time. Then it leads to you stressing about the work that you have to do, rushing it, and doing worse than you could have done if you’d done it earlier.
Another nightmare is losing the work that you’ve done, meaning that you have to start it all again. It commonly happens to those who only save it on a memory card. That memory card then gets misplaced with the only copy, meaning you have to last-minute write everything out again. Always save at least two copies in two places, just to cover your own back!
To make sure that you can get the most out of the work that you’re doing, you need technology on your side. Making sure that you have the right software and removing the wrong one to speed up your computer might also help. Mac uninstall is easy to do when you know how to, and you can kiss goodbye to those slow loading times. Those are pretty much the only last-minute nightmares that you’re going to have. Anything not related to uni work, students seem to go with the flow. After all, student life is renowned for the social life and the fun!
The Student Budget
This is definitely a hot topic that every student knows about. The budget is minimal, yet students find the money to go out drinking and partying all the time, but that’s just part of the student lifestyle. Living off supermarkets own brand food, and ringing up parents every other weekend for a top-up of money. There’s not much that can be done about the student budget unless you’re willing to change the way that you live your student life.
There has been a recent introduction that might help student nurses. They have been awarded a grant of at least £5000 a year again, making the course look far more appealing, and helping current students. Not every course is lucky enough to get that, so better money planning is essential.
One really good tip for keeping your money in check is using the apps that help you to manage money. The apps allow you to split your money into sections, such as food and luxuries and then it tells you when you’re close to going over budget.
Hating Your Housemates
You might not have chosen to live in university halls, if so then this section doesn’t apply to you. But if you have, then you’re truly living the university lifestyle. It allows you to live with people who are either just like you, or the complete opposite to you.
Some people get really lucky with the hall, and then housemates that they get. But some people have an absolutely terrible time, making university life about as rubbish as it can be. If this is happening to you, there are a few options for you, and you should probably think about taking them.
The first is to make sure that you’re actually making the effort to interact with your flatmates. Not everyone is going to be like you or have the same interests. However, they might be great at conversation and even more fun on a night out. Don’t cancel people out just because they’re not like you. If there are problems that are causing trouble between the people you’re living with, you need to speak about it and deal with it as quickly as you possibly can.
Like it or not you’re going to be living with them for at least one year, so you have to make the most of it.
Homesickness
Homesickness is one that you’re either really going to suffer with, or you won’t have a problem with it at all.
It usually comes in the first few days, or after a few months of living away for uni. The first few days can often be a shock for students, they all of the sudden realise the comforts of home that they’ve left behind. But once you get into the flow of uni life, it should go.
If you really do feel like you’re suffering from homesickness more than the average student, then figure out a schedule that gets you home more often than not. Although, this isn’t possible for all students. We also think it’s important to throw yourself into uni life so that you don’t feel down in the dumps all of the time. Keep yourself busy!
Leaving The Student Life
Student life will become your whole life.
As we said, even going home for special occasions will leave you wanting to go back to the uni halls or whenever you’re living. So when you do finally fly the uni nest and go into the real world, life can get really stressful.
The best advice we can give is to spend some time to find your path in life. Focus on finding your dream job rather than going into a random one. Move out as quickly as you can if you miss your own space. You can easily live a great life as soon as you leave university. However, it might just take a few weeks to adjust to the new lifestyle that you need to live. Always make sure you keep in touch with the friends you’ve made as well, they’ll often be your friends for life!
*This post is in collaboration.
