The Truth About University

I have just started my 4th week at University and I absolutely love it. Every aspect has been amazing from the course to my flat mates but it isn't all rainbows and flowers, boys and booze or interesting and engaging. From my first blog post I said my goal is to be real with you guys, not post skinny tea ads or pretend that university is an idealised world, because it isn't. And the reason it isn't is because this chapter is your life, not a one off night out.

I spoke to quite a few people who were at university and had never heard a bad thing. This is because uni is painted as a escape from your mum asking you who you are texting, endless nights out with no sleeps and a chilled, relax life. I hate to break it to you but it isn't. You are expected to be an adult in some situations, yet treated like a child when you are. You are expected to not only do your own work but also find it. You will sit in lectures thinking "how does this relate to my first assignment...I'm sure it will make sense in week 10". It won't. You need to research your work and no one will tell you how or when.

In terms of the night life, I'm the sort of girl that writes the dates of the bake off in my student planner! I'm not a big drinker because it takes zero alcohol for me to do the dance mat version of 5,6,7,8 and why would I pay to be tipsy when I can have a sugar rush of chocolate and not get a headache in the morning? As you can imagine, I was worried that this would be an issue at university as in my opinion having two double vodkas and cokes on a night out no way limits the fun I have, but in the past at sixth form this led to a label of being boring. Let me tell you, at university NO ONE CARES. Please, please, please be yourself from the start and no one will judge you. Every man's for himself. Find the bake off lovers, find your tribe and love them hard (and get them to bring snacks over). I can honestly tell you that if you are YOU from the start then people will respect that. Trust me, this is coming from someone who drank chocolate milk whilst playing Ring of Fire (true story, not ashamed).

From 4 weeks in, I know that university will be the best time of my life. I have made friends that will be at my 50th birthday party, learnt how to cook pasta blind folded and have ugly laughed till I've snorted, but it isn't like that all the time. The reason why it isn't perfect is because it is your life. Your whole life is now in this new bubble from where you live, where you study, where you go to lunch and shop, who you hang out with, where you eat etc. – it is all here. If you were at home, you would expect to feel bored every so often or tired or in a bad mood, yet as soon as people move to university, they feel like they should be on cloud nine non-stop and it should all be fun and games. I honestly cannot stress enough that this is your life so you can't expect it all to be perfect. That being said I know that the stories I tell my grandchildren won't be about the time I had freshers flu but would be about how on the first day someone left the oven on and its door open for 4 hours in attempt to heat up the kitchen or the time we played Jenga in a bar, or even the realisation that cheese is so expensive. These are the memories that last forever, so don't get down by the little things because you think your experience should be all amazing.

Lastly, I want to say that no one is ready for university but that's what makes it so much fun. "You are all in the same boat" is an expression you will hear non-stop but you also really aren't. You're all at the same pace on the river yet all your boats look different. Some have Michael Kors handbags as paddles, some have dirty cutlery, some sleep in all day and only sail at night whilst others are polluting the river with the smell of tobacco, but you're all moving together! Everyone at university is from different walks of life and it's incredible. I would never have an experience quite like it if it wasn't for uni. You're put in a house to live with strangers who I personally would not have chosen based on looks or interest, but thank god I am with them because I couldn't have asked for better people if I wanted. I cannot express how there is no other opportunity in life that is quite like this and it is so special, yet don't get down by being down because you feel like you shouldn't be.