I've seen a few other people I know doing these, so I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring and write a bit about my University experiences and things I've learnt, now that I'm leaving.
Back in Sixth Form, I remember being filled with excitement and nervousness at the prospect of going to University. I wasn't sure whether it would be a lot calmer and more sophisticated and intellectual than all those stories you hear about it, or whether it would be full of non-stop parties and drinking with no real lectures or essays to speak of. Suffice to say, it has been a mixture of both. A good mixture.
I remember thinking that University would last for ages and the prospect of graduating seemed a long way off, and I suppose for 17/18 year old me, it was. I couldn't really picture going to University, going to lectures, writing essays, taking exams, and all of that leading to graduating and having an actual degree. But with graduation 2 short weeks away, the prospect is a lot more real to me now.
While I suppose the whole point of University is doing all the above and gaining a degree (my exact degree classification will be revealed to me tomorrow so fingers crossed), I think University has taught me a lot more, and I will cherish these last 3 years for my whole life. Perhaps, to be all philosophical about it, that stuff is more important than the degree itself.
I went to an all-girls private school, and while I'd like to say I completely break all the stereotypes associated, I'll admit that when I came to University I was a little socially inept. I've also always been an incredibly emotional person, and I cry at pretty much anything. I remember crying when I found out I got into a University. Yes, I was that person. So when I came to University, I wasn't sure how I'd cope. My mum and dad drove me down, got me all set up in my room, took me for lunch in Courtyard (York Uni's SU) and then we walked back to the car. Mum and dad said goodbye, gave me a tight hug and off they went. I broke into tears (to be fair, I think my dad started me off, as he started to cry and he never cries). I walked back upstairs to my room as quickly as I could, trying to hide my tears from all these strangers all around me. I hid in my room for five minutes, indulging in my tears for a moment before trying to calm down. For five minutes. Then the STYCs knocked on my door, thankfully ignored my obviously teary-eyes and took me and a couple other people for a walk around campus and showed us around a bit.
Afterwards, I hid in my room again for a minute, not really sure what to do. Should I go and look for the people I would be living with? I didn't really feel confident enough, and what if they were experiencing similar emotional turmoils as I had and wanted to be alone or with their parents? What if they were all horrible? Eventually, I worked up the courage to go and hang out in the kitchen, with the potential pretense of just making myself some lunch if things were awkward. They weren't. Well, okay, they were a bit, I mean we had all just been thrown together in a strange environment. A few of us just hung out in the kitchen and talked and got to know each other a bit and it was quite nice. Others came and went with their parents to put away their kitchen stuff and food, and then came back awhile later once their parents had left as well.
I can't really remember much of what we talked about, but for the most part I think I generally agreed with things other people said, as I didn't want to be left out or shunned. On the whole anyway, I didn't agree to anything that goes against my beliefs strongly or anything. But I don't really remember much of what we talked about in those first few hours. It was nice, but it was still awkward. I remember when we went to our Freshers Ball that first week, it was nice event and it was good fun, but it couldn't compare to the Leavers Ball I'd had at school a few months before, and definately not to the Grad Ball I went to a few weeks ago. The problem was, we still didn't really know each other that well. And while there were a couple thousand students at the Freshers Ball, you only really knew the people you came with. We hadn't really done anything for our courses yet or met many other people who lived near us, so it was all awkward and I remember going home relatively early for a night out. Unlike the Grad Ball a few weeks ago. That was infinately better. I went with my friends, and we saw loads of other people we knew there as well, not just the people we came with - other friends and coursemates etc. It meant we could have a better time and we all (pretty much) made it to the 4am survivor's photo, even if some of us were incredibly drunk. I remember looking around the Grad Ball and thinking about how much more fun this was, and I never imagined when I started university, that I would meet so many incredible people that I am currently struggling to say goodbye to.
I've made so many friends here, some I never thought I would ever make. If you didn't know, I'm from Newcastle. And while I have a posh accent for Newcastle standards, I'm not that posh. When I came to University, I never thought I'd make friends with people from the south of England who (while again not that posh) are posher than me, and say barth instead of bath. Yet I have, and some of them are my best friends here. Some people I have met at University are the pretentious twats I thought many posh, southerners were, but not all of them. University has introduced me to a wide variety of people and challenged many of the preconceptions I've had about people. I'm not a stereotypical geordie, so why should others be a stereotype too?
While I'm still friends with the people I lived with in first year (for the most part anyway), they aren't my closest friends or the ones I've chosen. They, for the most part, are ones who actually lived on the floor below or do the same course as me. I think if anything, University has taught me more about interacting with other people and has given me more confidence. I'm still a bit shy around people I don't know that well, but I'm more confident than I was before. I've met some truly amazing people here, and I won't forget a single one.
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