10 things I have learnt in 10 weeks
10 weeks at Warwick just happened. That’s 1/9th of my university life, a third of my first year.
Being back home for Christmas means the dreaded “How is uni going?” question asked by every single relative and friend you meet. There is no avoiding it, and even when you have an answer prepared, you still freeze with so much to say that nothing comes out.
Hi everyone,
These are the top 10 things I have learnt during my first 10 weeks:
1. When people say societies are at the forefront of student life, they are serious.
The transition from school life where you have the occasional club during lunch or after school organised by teachers, to university where YOU shape your student experience can be a big one. It would be easy to focus solely on academia and disregard societies completely, though you would get bored pretty quickly. Societies are an opportunity to meet new people, try out different things and continue doing the things you enjoy. Students elect executives who organise socials and events on behalf of their members; this means that the experience you get is completely different from a school club. If there is any advice I could give to a fresher from my experience so far, it would definitely be to join societies.
2. Doing laundry is really easy.
Although I have done my laundry at home countless times, having heard horror stories about people’s clothes changing colour or shrinking in size from the campus washing machines, I delayed using the machine for as long as possible. That 45-minute wait felt like a century – if anything went wrong all of my clothes would be ruined!!
SO MANY OPTIONS WHAT DO I CHOOSE
I DID IT. None of my clothes has been ruined so far *fingers crossed, everything crossed*
3. It is not possible to eat too much pizza, ever.
Surprisingly, it was only in week 7 when I decided to purchase a pizza for the first time in uni, though I have eaten many since. I prefer to use the “it is very quick and handy when you have an event taking place in the evening” excuse.
4. Writing footnotes.
A quick look through of all the essays I have submitted this term; I have written nearly 100 footnotes in total! Considering I didn’t even know how to reference prior to coming to university, this should probably be higher up on the list…
5. The Koan is very, very important.
Apologies for the poor quality, but I dedicated the first photo of me at Warwick to the Koan *shout out to my politics mentor Felix for taking it*
You see it every day when walking to lectures, situated right near the Warwick Arts Centre at the heart of campus, there is no escaping from it. Completed in 1972, the name ‘Koan’ is a pun on its shape and the Buddhist concept of a koan, resembling a question to which there is no answer. There are many myths regarding its existence such as somebody lived in it a long time ago, or the fact it was the nose cone of a failed Apollo mission.
It is indeed very much cherished by both students and staff.
6. Budgeting.
From accommodation and groceries to society memberships and social events – you need to have an awareness of your spending in order to enjoy your university experience. It would be a good idea to have an idea before arriving, by looking at how much you will have, where you may need to spend this and forming a weekly budget.
7. To get out of my comfort zone.
You will learn really quickly that there are so many opportunities, although you can’t do everything – do challenge yourself and go beyond your limits!
8. How to live with ducks.
They are everywhere.
9. Time management.
It is a key part of life, whether a student or working. When having a lot of independence, it can be easy to ignore the reading which needs to be read or the essay which needs to be written. Good time management will allow you to enjoy your university experience by ensuring you have a good balance between academia and extracurricular.
10. Chocolate is actually really nice.
Anybody who knows me well will also know that I dislike chocolate (sorry) (except for Kinder Bueno obviously), especially chocolate ice cream – yet after being forced to try the Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream, I think I have become addicted…
I don’t know whether it is the university itself or me finally realising what I have been missing out on, but I may have a slight addiction to chocolate…
This is my last post this year, so I wish you a Happy New Year! Good luck to anybody revising/writing essays and for prospective students reading this – best of luck with the UCAS process 🙂
Shanita 🙂 xo
