University: Expectation vs Reality

What is the perfect university life?

To me it’s one full of: hanging out with friends, studying something I am passionate about (or at least am interested in), going out, and discovering new things be it alone, or with someone else.

But that is only the good stuff, the things that: friends, parents, teachers, tv shows and movies tell you about. Rarely are we told about the boredom, loneliness and stress that accompany these great times, these feelings we experience that don’t fit in with this idealised version of uni we have in our heads.

University is a time of growth, change and excitement, but this might not be something that we are seeing or feeling every day. There are many days like that, but there are also those where you might find yourself alone and bored again, wondering if anyone else is feeling this way or just you and if you’re somehow doing uni wrong. We are never told about the days when it feels like nothing is happening, but you pick up your phone and see others your age going out to a party that looks like the time of their lives, or going on dates, or just having more fun than you.

We are trying a lot of new hard things all at once; living alone for the first time, then living with friends and navigating conflict and deadlines by ourselves. This is experience in itself, just because it doesn’t fit into the narrative of perfect university life does not mean it is not part of university life because it is happening and it is your life.

For me the magical parts of uni are those small moments: a conversation with a friend late at night after everyone else has gone to bed, being tipsy at a house party and getting along with everyone there, late night walks, house food shops all piled into a car together, dressing up for yet another silly theme, not having to justify a purchase or impulse buy.

My advice, don’t push away any feelings because they don’t fit into the narrative of what university should look like in your head, taken together it gives you a well rounded experience of your time at Liverpool.

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