University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Four)

Welcome back everyone to the final post in the ‘University: What I Wish I’d Known’ series. Don’t worry I have a few more posts up my sleeve before University officially starts for everyone. This time around we have some more graduates, I know, we have had graduates before but these four were too good not to include. I hope they will still help someone even a little!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Thank you! You may have also noticed that I have a brand new blog, I hope you like it!

Are you ready to meet the other Graduates?

 

LaynaMeet Layna:

Hello! I’m Layna and I’ve recently finished my final year examinations in the University of
London. Except that I did my studies in Singapore, learning along with mostly Singaporean
students.

We have the same examination formats as the UoL in the UK, the only difference is that we have different lecturers and examination halls. I will be graduating with a BSc in Business & Management soon, after my results are out in Mid August 2018.

What Layna wishes she’d known:

I wish I knew how to start revising the moment I began classes. I’m the kind to study very last minute so I was always studying only in late December (9 months per semester each year) when our exams are in May the following year. Prep early and revise early! It’ll help as the lessons go by. I also wish I was more open to making friends. I didn’t really dare to make friends and I ended up being curious about things myself or asking the lecturer personally. However, it isn’t that I didn’t have any friends. I had friends from my previous school who happened to go to this university and we managed to get the same time slot for classes.

What she’d do differently:

I would want to be more disciplined and organised the moment the semester begins. Be it revising every week or even alternate days as I didn’t have friends to count on at the start. Reason being, our orientation lasted only for a day and people who were in our orientation group were not necessarily in our course. But at the same time, I’d tell myself not to compare myself with how the others in my school are doing. Everybody’s way of studying is different. I prefer studying alone as well. Go with your own pace and don’t go study with friends just because they asked you to.

Go easy on yourself. Play hard and work hard! Your results will show and your hard work will pull off!

Layna is currently looking for jobs in the human resource sector. You can find out more about Layna via her Blog, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest.

 

graduation cropMeet Scarlett:

Hello readers! My name is Scarlett and I am a fairly new blogger on my website Scarlett’s Scribbles. I graduated from Aberystwyth University with a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing in the July of this year so I’m a very new graduate!

What Scarlett wishes she’d known:

I wish I knew that it’s okay to not get along with your housemates. In my first year, the people in my flat were not the type of people I would normally hang out with and usually I felt like the odd one out among them. The people in the flat opposite us all seemed to be best friends. They held regular flat meals and would go places and do things together as a group.

This never happened in my flat and so I thought there may be something wrong with us, or with me and I may have been excluded from my flat’s activities. Yet over my time at University I learned that the best friends you make and will want to spend most of your time with are met either through your course or through joining a club/society. These are the people you are likely to have more things in common with and as such, are more likely to get along with them.

The people I lived with in my second and third years were friends I had made through my course and through the archery club. Living with friends, as opposed to people you are forced to be friends with, made a huge difference in my University life and I enjoyed my second and third years much more than my first because of the people that I surrounded myself.

What she’d do differently:

If I could’ve done something differently, it would have been to be myself. Due to living with people who I didn’t always get along with, I wouldn’t always be true to myself and hide my personality. In my second and third years, where I felt more comfortable around my friends, I was able to be myself and enjoyed my time so much more. I think if I had been myself more in my first year flat, I may have enjoyed my time more, even if I wasn’t best friends with my flatmates.

Over my time at University I learned that the best friends you make and will want to spend most of your time with are met either through your course or through joining a club/society.

Scarlett is currently working in her local pub alongside doing freelance work in writing and editing. You can find out more about Scarlett via her Blog, Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

jjMeet John:

Hey! My name is John. I completed a BA in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Leeds in 2014, followed by a diploma in Jewish Studies in 2015. I also completed an MA in History from Queen’s University Belfast in 2016. I blog over at JJ’s Kitchen for all things vegan, gluten free and foodie!

What John wishes he’d known:

What did I wish I knew before starting? The financial, social, and emotional preparation that you do not know about until you find yourself in the arena. Honestly though, what I wish I knew was the career aspect.

I went into first year of university with all these career plans. I studied hard, got a First Class Honours degree, and then proceeded onto a Masters degree to become an academic with a PhD. I did all that, even winning a scholarship to study abroad in Stockholm for a year– but still could not secure funding for a PhD.

It got me down and I struggled with a purpose in life. I had gone through five years of university to achieve this goal because I thought that was the only one open to me. But it wasn’t! Yes I got top grades but why does that mean I would only be successful and enjoy an academic career? I wish I’d known that I did not have to have a set career goal, that things could (and would) change. You are not disadvantaged to anyone by changing your plans. University is the time to explore and push your boundaries.

What he’d do differently:

I do not regret for one minute what I have studied; it has allowed me to meet new people and see different places. Yet I would have explored other career options. My undergraduate university had a fantastic careers service, but I never took advantage of it. I would not have focused so much on being an academic but instead explored other potential paths. Since graduating and finding myself in a ‘rut’ at times I’ve realised I am capable of so much more.

There are internships, short courses and placements you can do to build up your CV. As I love languages, I wish I had taken those few elective modules for language classes. I had signed up for Arabic but dropped it for another module that I did not enjoy very much!

Years after graduating – I’m still learning from my time at university.

John is currently working in retail full time and blogs twice a week. You can find out more about John via his Blog and Twitter.

 

IMG_20180812_122404Meet Emma:

Hello! I’m Emma a lifestyle and Foodie Blogger. I’m 25, and live in the lovely New Forest just outside Southampton.

I graduated from the University of East Anglia in June 2014, and had my official graduation in October 2014. I studied a BA Hons in Business Management which I absolutely loved! I really enjoyed the variety of my course, the different module options throughout my 3 years and feel I gained so much valuable, transferable skills from my whole university experience.

What Emma wishes she’d known:

Before I starting university, I wish I’d known the whole concept of living with total strangers, having to share a kitchen was my biggest pet hate! Remember, not everyone is clean, tidy and conscious of their mess!! I wish I got told about the prospects of fire alarms at silly AM and the need to evacuate the building at least 4 times during freshers week. I also wish we’d been told that the lift was prone to breaking down and walking down 6 flights of stairs would become a reality in first year.

When you look through university prospectus’ it can be very daunting. Therefore I was it would of been possible to find out a bit more regarding doing a dual course. For example Business Management with Events or Business Management with Law. But there was limited information regarding this.

What she’d do differently:

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at university, part of me does wish I took a study year. Where I could of worked with the industry to gain valuable experience first hand. I felt after university applying for jobs with no experience was a little tricky! But I throughly enjoyed my time at UAE and I have made lots of friends for life. The whole experience is initially very overwhelming, meeting new people, living in new surroundings and moving away from home. But what an amazing opportunity it was, I wished it never ended!

If you are applying to university, I’d highly recommend checking the university out before applying. Attend open days so you can get a feel for the university.

Emma is currently working in marketing whilst blogging part time. You can find out more about Emma via her Blog, Twitter and Instagram.

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about some more graduate stories from university. Did you go to university and wish you did something differently? Let me know in the comments below!

Make sure you check out the other posts in the series and in relation to university:

University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part One)
University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Two)
University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Three)
Fresher’s Week, Friend or Foe?
University, 9 Years Ago; An Interview
University, 13 Years Ago; An Interview
University Alternative, MOOC; An Interview
University Saving Tips and Tricks, Part One
University Saving Tips and Tricks, Part Two
University Bookshelf Tour
My University Experience So Far

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

17 Comments

  1. This is awesome. Love this series

    1. Imogen Chloe says:

      Thank you, that means a lot!

      1. You are amazing. Keep the good work going

        1. Imogen Chloe says:

          You’re too lovely – thank you for everything you have done for me!

          1. Barely done anything. This is all you. Will continue to help in any way I can x

          2. Imogen Chloe says:

            <3

  2. I love that you got so many different perspectives! I’m about to start a collab of a similar layout and really love how you’ve done it! There is such a focus on what your uni experience “should” be, that can lead to feelings of inadequacy or of missing out so it’s great to hear peoples’ self reflections!

    1. Imogen Chloe says:

      Thank you lovely, I am so glad you liked it – definitely wanted different perspectives as obviously everyone has a different experience. That means a lot to hear you enjoyed it so much, hope your series goes well! I look forward to reading it. x

  3. I’ve really loved reading this series, it’s so helpful to get advice from graduates that have been through it all! Also gives me a lot of hope that everything will be fine after graduation, whatever job I end up in.

    Megan // https://pixieskiesblog.wordpress.com/

    1. Imogen Chloe says:

      Ahh thank you so much, that means the world – that was what I wanted when I started, to simply help someone (anyone) who is approaching their university experience or who is nervous because of stereotypical expectations! It definitely will be, I’m sure – you needn’t worry. x

  4. Very interesting! Yes, sharing a house with roomies can be tough if there’s not a great feeling, or if they leave kitchens particularly messy! Loved your post!
    Miss Doll – https://missdollreviews.wixsite.com/sextoyreviews

    1. Imogen Chloe says:

      Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Honestly, I had an awful roommate in my first year of uni simply because of the mess he used to create in the kitchen, well disaster is probably a more apt word. x

  5. More solid pieces of information! I can definitely relate to the roommate stuff. During my freshman year I had a HORRIBLE roommate. She was basically the opposite of everything I said I wanted in a roommate on our matching survey. I was always so jealous of friends who did everything with their roommates. Thankfully I lucked out with my sophomore year suitemates, all of whom were cool girls. We didn’t do many activities all together, but it was fun hanging out with each of them individually when we could.

    1. Imogen Chloe says:

      Thank you lovely! I had one who was honestly a disaster, one time he was cutting pigs trotters (yes, you did read that right) on the table and plucking the hairs out and leaving it there – not to mention the maggot ridden pots and pans too! It turned out he was so messy because he was actually hiding 3 other people in his room! I have friends like that, we have such different uni schedules it is hard to see each other all the time and have the time to meet etc, not sure how some people do it with studies but we see each other when we can and it’s still the same. They’re true friends – thanks for the love! xx

  6. […] University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Two) University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Three) University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Four) Fresher’s Week, Friend or Foe? University, 9 Years Ago; An Interview University Alternative, […]

  7. […] University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Two) University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Three) University: What I Wish I’d Known (Part Four) Fresher’s Week, Friend or Foe? University, 9 Years Ago; An Interview University Alternative, […]

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