5 Things I Learned In My First Year Of Uni
When I first started uni, I had no idea what to expect so it took a while to figure things out and find my footing. For those of you starting uni this year, here’s a list of five things I learned in my first year of uni that may just give you more of an idea of what to expect!
1. Uni food is expensive!
You haven’t really got that much choice in food on campus. And unless you’re lucky enough to be situated in the CBD (which I am not) then you pretty much only have one or two on campus cafes to choose from. At my uni, one cafe sells more cafeteria style food such hastily thrown together burgers and salads costing upwards of $8. Our other cafe is pretty much like a normal cafe except the sandwiches and wraps go for the same inflated prices which can really eat away at your budget if you’re at uni a lot. My one consolation is the cheese drizzled bowl of fries this cafe does for only $5 *love heart eyes*
2. Dress down rather than up!
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen girls in party playsuits and block heels stared down with confused looks when girls in trackies and thongs don’t get a second glance. People (girls especially) might dress up nice for the first few weeks but by Week 7 when second term and the winter chill come around, nobody can be bothered anymore.
Sponsored Link
3. There are good tutors and bad tutors.
Just like high school, you’re bound to get your fair share of good tutors but also bad tutors. In my first semester, I was lucky enough to have some fantastic tutors who were super passionate about what they taught and incorporated jokes and games into every tute and it was awesome! But I also had one tutor in particular who just seemed like we were an annoyance to her. The worst thing wasn’t even her attitude, it was the fact that she took more than six weeks to give us back our first in-class assignment that we’re supposed to do in every tute and therefore receive feedback for each week before the next tute. SIX WEEKS!
4. Your high school teachers lied to you.
If I had a dollar for every time a teacher said ‘When you get to uni, your tutors won’t be so lenient on you!’ I would be rich. But this was the biggest lie ever. Firstly, most tutors don’t even care if you come to class or not, they most likely don’t even know your name. They will be happy to give you extensions 90% of the time without really giving them a valid reason. Plus every single tutor I’ve had this semester either lets us out 15 – 30 minutes early or leaves 15 – 30 minutes early every single week! Once one of my tutors (read ‘terrible tutor’ above) literally came to class for 15 minutes, told us what to work on and LEFT!
Sponsored Link
5. Your friendship circle will expand dramatically if you let it.
In high school, you were only really exposed to people who were the same age as you and living in the same area. In university, it’s a completely different story. You’ll be in classes with people 5, 10, 20 years older than you, people who live in the country but travel two hours a day to get to uni, people who changed degrees or even career paths. It’s really surprising how in university, you just make friends with people without the age, or past experience difference influence you and it really helps broaden your horizons. So whether you’re shy or outgoing, try to toughen up and make that first bit of conversation!
Featured photo source: favim.com and collegeismylife.com
