sI’m officially half way through my time at uni… like WHAT??? The past year and a half has flown by and it has been an absolutely crazy adventure. It’s got me thinking about my uni journey so far, the lessons I’ve learnt and the memories I’ve made. Here’s a few reflections on my uni journey so far.

The Journey

It’s been one heck of a journey, let me tell you! First year was an absolute blast! I don’t think I’ve ever had a year that’s been so full of fun. The year was full of building new friendships, learning to fend for myself in the big wide world and learning how to balance a social life with studying (something I’ve never been good at). I loved every single minute of first year -well, maybe not all of them- hello calling my mum in floods of tears at 2am when in the middle of a crisis.

But, if I’m being honest, second year hasn’t been quite as easy breezy as first year was. In first year, I thrived at being away from home. This year though, I’ve never felt more homesick in my life. I wonder whether it’s because the excitement of it all has worn off. Last year, having a work-social life balance was pretty straight forward; this year, not so much. When they say that second year is a jump from first year, I guess they really mean it! However, this year has still had some ridiculous highs- making even more amazing new friends, finding time to watch all the Liverpool matches and continuing to work out how all this adulting stuff works. The best part of second year however, joining my small group and finding a group of people with whom I can do life and be completely authentic with.

The Lessons

I’ve learnt a lot of lessons this past year and a half. Some of them have been easy to learn, others not so much. I think the biggest lesson I learnt was to give myself more Grace- I wrote about that in my Letter to my Fresher Self  There’s been a tonne of other lessons along the way, and here’s just a few of them.

1. Meal prep will be your life saver
2. Don’t go on a night out if you haven’t got your essay done, or if you have a 9am seminar the next day
3. On the topic of night outs, always wear a pad in case there’s no loo roll left!
4. There’s no shame in going to speak to your tutors if you’re struggling or you need help
5. Always always always shop discounted where you can (The Need To Live can help you out there!)

The Memories

There’s been highs and there’s been lows. There’s been times I’d rather forget and moments I’ll cherish forever. I’m a firm believer on looking back and remembering the good things, so here’s my most cherished memories from university so far…

1. Going boating and rowing in a circle for a good 10 minutes- you can’t beat a good belly laugh like that
2. Passing my Greek module- that stuff is hard!
3. Being moved into a different accommodation the week before moving in and it meaning that I found my best friend
4. Going on holiday with my best friend and seeing turtles. I apologise to everyone for my turtle hype for the months leading up to use going away
5. Going to a conference and being encouraged at a time at which I felt the lowest I’ve felt in a long time
6. Having friends round for meals and going all out in cooking for them
7. Joining my small group and finding the best set of friends
8. Going to Canvas for the first time and finding somewhere I truly belong
9. Discovering Crocus Cafe and learning that vegetarian food can actually be lovely- not veggie sausages though, they are yucky!
10. Going ice skating at the Christmas market and looking like Bambi on ice- literally!

Those are my reflections on my uni journey so far. I can’t wait to see what the next year and a half has in store for me!

Do you have any reflections on your uni journey so far? If so, I’d love to hear them!