An Honest Review of University: From a Third Year Student
I’ve recently completed three years of study at the University of Nottingham and I can confidently say that the University experience is one like no other I’ve ever had. Between balancing the chaos of new-found friendships and the demanding workload of studying at a Russel group University, I’ve certainly been on quite the learning curve. There’s some things that you just cant be prepared for before you begin your university journey, but I hope to highlight some of the realities of University living that they don’t tell you when you pick up your brochure on the Open Day.
Now some of these reviews of my University experience will be specific to the University of Nottingham, so hopefully these can be helpful to any of you thinking specifically of studying at this University. Others will be more general so will hopefully be helpful to a whole range of people who are starting their University journey!
Campus Life:
Having the opportunity to live on campus, especially one as beautiful as that of UoN, made my first year of Uni even more special. I lived in Lenton and Wortley hall during my first year of University and I couldn’t have had a more positive experience. Living in halls gives you the perfect opportunity to meet lots of people as soon as you arrive at your accommodation, and I was lucky that this was where the majority of my close friendships at University began. Being surrounded by so many new people can be overwhelming, but for me this was nothing but a positive experience and I found friends I know I’ll have for life. It’s amazing how quickly friendships can form and blossom when you start eating every meal together, as we did in catered halls. Now this wouldn’t be a fair review if I didn’t tell you about the realities of mass catering, which often means that Friday night dinner is the leftovers from Thursday night rebranded as ‘Chef’s Special’. So be prepared for spending more money than you budgeted for on food from the takeaway when you just can’t take another night of soggy vegetables and Muller Corners.
Despite a less than luxury experience with being cooked for during my first year of University, this gave me the opportunity to adapt to living alone in a new city without being thrown completely in the deep end with having to learn to cook at the same time, something I didn’t have to worry about until I moved into a shared house in second year. One other downside of living in catered halls however is how expensive it can be – I lived in an en-suite room, and being catered for, this made living costs for first year very expensive. This isn’t something I regret however – it made settling into University much easier for me and meant that I didn’t have to worry about sharing my private space with people I wasn’t yet comfortable with. I could choose these people for myself and decide who I wanted to share with in second year!
Living directly on campus also makes attending lectures and seminars much easier (yes, I did actually attend my lectures in first year, despite my Instagram suggesting otherwise). Living so close to your lecture theatres just makes life so much more convenient, and means you can risk sleeping in a bit later if you had one too many drinks at the pub the night before.
Social Life
I’ve been lucky in that I quickly found a group of people who I really got on well with upon moving to University, so I soon had people who I was hanging out with regularly. I’ve also found that my social circle has expanded throughout my time at University, so don’t worry if you don’t find your ‘people’ straight away, there’s plenty of people who you just haven’t met yet who you’re bound to click with! It’s easy to make friends at University, whether that’s through shared accommodation, your course or a society, there’s always plenty of people who are eager to make new friends. Living in a city also makes for a great social life, as there’s countless bars and brunch cafes which make for easy bonding with your new-found friends.
Although the experience of living with your friends is an exciting one and something you’re unlikely to experience anywhere else, it can at times be draining, as it becomes hard to say no to another free club night (it did for me, anyway). So, make sure that while you’re putting yourself out there and trying new things, that you’re also taking time for yourself and protecting your own mental health. The pub can wait!
Studying
I’m someone who has always naturally enjoyed learning and studying so University was the perfect next step for me after A levels. I study Biology which has no doubt been demanding and often very stressful. Studying at university level is no joke, and the workload can soon get on top of you if you let it. It’s important that while you have fun and make the most of your time, you actually remember the reason you came there in the first place – to get a degree! I think the reason why students garner such a reputation for being heavy drinkers and partiers is that it’s a good way to blow off steam after submitting a 3000 word essay which consumed all of your life for the past month!
I can truly say I have enjoyed my course, for the most part anyway. There’s bound to be modules which you just don’t like, but you have to suck it up and push through for the sake of the ones you do enjoy. I think it’s really important that you choose a course you truly enjoy, otherwise you’re just going to become miserable, as no one wants to write a 7000-word dissertation on a topic they’re not interested in.
Studying at University has been different to any other level of study I’ve ever taken, and it requires the special skill of being able to absorb and understand a vast amount of content in a shorter time space than ever before. This is challenging, but you easily adapt – you have to! The constant testing and coursework deadlines are rigorous, but they give you the opportunity to learn and become specialised in your field to a greater standard.
House Sharing
The best part of University for me was getting to share a house with my new friends, as we attempted to navigate the adult world together. While there will inevitably be arguments over who isn’t cleaning the kitchen enough or whose turn it is to hoover the stairs, the experience comes with the joy of spending everyday with people who you know you get along well with. Late night deep chats and movie nights in the living room become the new norm, and having your friends by your side make completing your Uni work much more enjoyable than if you were stuck in your room by yourself. I shared the same house with my friends during both second and third year, which brought us incredibly close, and allowed us to form unbreakable bonds. I look back on these days as the best days of University, as you have complete freedom and finally start to feel like a proper adult, while still getting to have fun with your friends. I must stress that finding the right people to live with is essential, as you’ll be spending everyday with these people, so make sure you make the right choice! And remember that living with other people means there will be a whole mix of opinions on how things should work and everyone will be dealing with something different, so you have to learn to adapt to the changing needs of other people, while respecting your own boundaries.
My university experience is not yet complete, as I start my final year in September to complete my Masters. However, I hope that my experiences from the past 3 years can be helpful to those who are thinking of starting University or have already started their journey and are looking for some advice!
