March 13, 2013, by Sarah

10 Truths that aren’t always true

Well I have been doing a lot of coursework this week, and it’s almost the end of term; and amongst the word counting, caffeinated beverages and frustration/ victory/ despair my mind has turned a little philosophical. So this week I’d talk about student truths, or commonly held ideas, that might not be always true. Some of them serious and some of them not so much.

 

1. You’ll be able to write up lectures as you go along. Not unless you’re some kind of wizard (if you are someone who does this I am in AWE). With lectures, coursework, trying to have a life, maintain personal hygiene and a path from your desk to your bed – there’s not always time for everything you want to do, and however studious you want to be. I think time management is important – but also knowing how to prioritise, when to work and when to rest. I am still learning this.
   

   True story

2. 40% is too low. Not if you’re in first year and that’s all you need to pass – it suddenly becomes an ultimate goal!
3. 9am is a fine time to start lectures. In school, I used to catch the bus at 7:45am , and that was fine. Now it seems like a mammoth task to get up for 9 o clock lectures.
4. I don’t drink tea or coffee. Uni will MAKE YOU. Or you’ll turn to relentless – as a casual drink in the evening because you like the taste… WHAT?! (my friend casually did this yesterday, I was in shock)
5. I don’t really procrastinate. This is just you procrastinating from the realisation that you procrastinate – the Inception of procrastination. SB in February offered the ultimate way to procrastinate:
   

   Yes this is actually a thing. On my campus.

6. The countryside is always beautiful. This is a lie for me anyway. Well, sometimes I like it a lot, sometimes the sun is shining and the fresh smell of nature is lovely, the rabbits come out and at night you can see the stars. But, when you leave the house and some kind farmer has been muck-spreading in nearby fields and the wave of nausea washes over you with the stench of fermenting animal droppings I long for urbanity. Or some kind of nose removal.
7. Student life is just partying. There are a lot of parties, don’t get me wrong –  but saying this is like saying a work of Monet is just paint. There’s more to it, and thank goodness other wise I think we’d all get pretty bored / hungover / scurvy-ridden.
8. I am a fussy eater. On the whole it seems fussy eater who come to Uni will suddently eat anything, or at least much more than they used to -especially if it’s free food. Although I have known some students live off the same ready meal for over a year, pretty much every day. Evidently variety is the spice of life.
9. University is the best time of your life. University can be great, you study interesting things, meet amazing people and taste independence. But, I think that statements like “university is the best time of your life” put people under pressure…that if they’re not having fun they’re doing something wrong. When actually, University is life. Life isn’t straightforward and isn’t always perfect. Plus, saying “university is the best time of your life” kind of writes-off the rest of it. I don’t want to live a life where everything after I’m 22 is just nostalgia for my Uni days – I want to live a life that has great stuff, ups and downs,  all the way through, not just a 3 or 4 year peak and tailing off. There have been some recent tragedies among people I know and it’s made me think that Life is life, and you have to make the best of it day by day, not living by society’s expectations that your a student so you should be feeling x, y and z. So if you’re a student and not loving it: that’s ok. I’d encourage you to work out what you do love and try and do more of that, to get you through the difficult stuff.
10. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Not if you have type 2 diabetes.

 

Also – funny videos can cheer you up – like this.

Anyway – those are my thoughts and I hope you all have a lovely week!

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