Earlier this month I published a post detailing some of the things I missed about Uni, now I'm going to counteract that statement and give you the flip side. So if you're entering your third year after struggling through your second, don't worry, the journey is almost over and these are some aspects of your life that will hopefully stay in your uni city!
1. Awkward seminars. As you can see from the above image, the exterior view from Lincoln's campus is pretty breath-taking. So much so, that it seemed to have literally taken away some people's ability to use verbal communication as a method of delivering their ideas as they walked to my Literature of Childhood seminar. The amount of times that I said ANYTHING just to fill the silence because those around me wouldn't offer up even a simple 'yes' or 'no' to the tutor's question was frequent. Seminars can be awkward, intimidating places, but they're a whole lot worse for raising your anxiety if you sit there in silence. I really don't miss being one of the only voices heard in the seminar room - shout out to all the regular speakers who would join me in contributing, I don't think I could've bared attending without you!
2. The dirty house. I'm not a clean freak, I won't pretend to be, but I have to say that over my three years in student housing I definitely improved myself. By third year I was doing regular house cleans, by myself, and tidying up after other people just to avoid the stench of dirty tea towels and the sight of scum around the bath. Living in a clean house is such a treat after three years of dust.
3. The fake friends. You're going to meet some really genuine, lovely people at uni that you develop friendships with over time. Others you'll get to know very early on, think they're your new BFFL's, and in reality, they're going to be so different to you that friendship just isn't possible. Always take note of the people that don't have any friends from home, it's sometimes (not always but SOMETIMES) for a reason. Oh, and trust yours and your mum's gut instinct about a person. You can't be friends with everyone and you shouldn't be, some people aren't compatible with you, don't keep them in your life just because they're handy for nights out or you don't want to cause a scene. Someone might seem like a great friend at first but then over time you'll realise they're not, nobody is completely themselves in the first few weeks or even months, so it's okay if at first you really like somebody but then find yourself going off them over time. If they're not the right friend for you, then get rid - you'll both find the people you're meant to be with eventually.
4. Your relationship being public. If you have an argument, you best believe that everyone is going to know about it and be talking about it. That's the nature of communal living. Some people will twist things and interfere, probably through jealousy or boredom, and you have to learn to rise above it. If you're like me and have to vent your feelings, you need to be careful who you're sharing with, not everyone has your best intentions at heart! People will paint a picture of your relationship based on what they've seen and run with it. If me and my boyfriend left a club early to go to McDonalds, it would often be assumed that we had gone off to argue, and once one person said this then it didn't take much for other people to believe it. It's a lot easier having your relationship as a more private part of your life once you've left uni.
5. Sharing a kitchen. Sharing a kitchen is easy when one person is cooking for the other three or four, but when you're all making different meals it's such a stressful situation. Everybody wants to cook at the same time and that's not possible. Everybody feels entitled to eat when they're hungry, and again, that's not always possible. Sometimes you'll cook something that smells too (curry, fish etc.) and the fear of one of your housemates commenting on it is so real, it's awful to feel judged for your food choices! It's not nice feeling like you're being watched while you cook or eat either, and unfortunately that's the atmosphere of a shared kitchen. It's so much easier at home!
I hope this hasn't put anybody off uni, it was still hand's down the best thing I have ever done, and all of these little gripes have definitely educated me in ways that academics couldn't! So overall, I'm better off for both the positives and the negatives of uni life. I think it's good to be honest about the experience, and that is exactly what this post was!