Hello all!
Oh my, it has been a while since i've typed up a uni blog post, hasn't it? I am really, really sorry for that! Uni has taken over my life, and I have no free time (apart from weekends) and I use that time to sleep! But, finally, I am typing up a post~~
Today, I would like to talk about tough times in uni, whether that's feeling home sick, work catching up with you, or lecturers driving you up the wall, or anything else that's just troubling in general!
We're all going to run into problems at uni, it's almost like destiny, it's bound to happen sooner or later. A lot of the time we can avoid trouble/problematic situations, but on the other hand, they can get slapped into our face and appear out of the blue.
1) Money.
Ah yes, money. It's a wonderful thing, we can buy many wonderful things with it, clothes, food, gadgets and pointless items, and we can also get very carried away with money. Some people are given a weekly allowance by their parents in uni, which they'll use to buy food with, go out and get drinks and so on, others have to work for their money, either way, when there's a lot of it, it's oh so tempting just to dip into it a little bit. You start with this little thing, then that little thing, next thing you know it, you've blown that weeks worth of money. I know because i've done it recently, and oh how I suffered!
There are a few ways in which we can not run into money problems, and everyone has their own way of dealing with it, but here are a few ideas:
- Be really strict with yourself. If you have, let's say over £100 sitting in your bank, don't touch it, give yourself a weekly limit on how much you spend on food, washing, clothes, etc. This way you'll be less likely to reach in and spend it.
- Open a savings account. I know not everyone is going to agree with this idea, but it is a smart one to do. When you put your money into a savings account, you can't touch it until you really, REALLY, need to, for example, you might be saving for driving lessons, but those shoes in River Island might be calling your name, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOOD AND PUT YOUR MONEY IN THE SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND WAIT FOR THE SHOES TO GO ON SALE.
Like I said before, everyone has their own way of keeping track on their money to avoid problems!
2) Work.
I'm talking about uni work, not as in a job. I don't know if it's the same for everyone, because, of course, everyone does different subjects, and work varies for each person, but when you're doing an art based subject, you get thrown right into the snakes pit, like in Indiana Jones. I'm doing a Foundation Art, Media & Design course, for those who do not know, and within our induction week we had a project to do and I think it took nearly everyone in our class by suprise and people were fretting, then we had a classical architecture project and everyone was going crazy over that and it's just a lot of work! Here are a few tips to avoid problems:
- GET IT DONE THEN AND THERE. Obviously. Once the task has been set, do not put it off, sit down and do it. The sooner it's done, the better you're going to feel about it all. You'll be able to say " HAH, I did that yesterday and now I do not have to panic~ I'm going for a drink in the SU bar!", you can chill out and relax until the next task.
- Take your time! Why rush something and not put a lot of effort into it, just so you can chill? I know I said to sit down and do it, but I mean put effort into it, do your work so that you're pleased with the outcome. At the end of the day, you're getting a degree, and if you don't put the work in, you're not going to get that degree.
I live by "work hard, play hard" - work for hours, play for hours.
3) People.
OH PEOPLE! People, people, people... we're a funny bunch. This is a well known fact known around the world, you're going to get people you don't get along with in your class. Fact~ You might start out as friends because they were the first person that you spoke to on your first day, but then you might realise "actually, this person is taking the mick. I do not appreciate people taking the mick.", the obvious thing to do is to leave them, unless they're alone, don't leave them then. Why? Because you might be the only person they have, and you just need to be nice, no harm in being kind! Try to involve them with other people, give them the confidence to make new friends and then, let the chick leave the nest. Of course, you might have a bad run in with some people who you thought were harmless enough, but then ended up doing something that annoyed you so much, you don't want anything to do with them. That then is the time to avoid them and to distance yourself. If they're doing something that they know will annoy you, it's because they want you to have a reaction, and when you give a reaction, you've satisfied them and they'll probably make some snide and "witty" remark.
- Ignore them! Again, it's obvious, but sometimes people act before they think and give the people they don't want a reaction. That's all they're trying to do, provoke a reaction out of you to start something. Yes, it's very childish, so be the mature one in this situation.
As long as you have friends who understand you, like you, get along with you, you'll be fin. Have them support you, that's what a friend does.
4) Feeling home sick.
This is mainly for people living at their university, rather than being from the area. Sometimes it hits people as soon as they move, sometimes when they visit home for the weekend, and for some people, never. I've heard some people say they'd never go home in the fear that they'd just want to be back home and they'd be home sick, in a way, I think that's quite upsetting. Never going to go back home until it's time to (like Christmas for example), and possibly only contacting friends and family through the internet? I couldn't do that! For some people, going home is the best for them because it can make them realise how much of an awesome time they're having at uni and how much they wish to be back! If you are feeling home sick, here are a few tips to help you get over this minor problem:
- Skype/internet/phone calls. We live in an age where we can contact people so easily and instantly, and a lot of the time it's free, so it'd be cheaper than getting a train ticket home! Skype is free to download, get your mum, dad, nan, grandad, cat, dog to sign up to it too and away you go~ Who doesn't have Facebook these days? If you know someone who doesn't, then what about an email? It would be much quicker to type up an email than to write a letter.
- Be sociable. Don't be an antisocial hermit, like myself, who sits around in their cave (bedroom), doing nothing - get out there and have fun! Go out and party, sit in the bar and talk to people, do something that'll make you leave your room and put your mind off of family and home.
5) Food.
When at uni, sometimes, we may not eat as well as we should, whether the shop provides tempting foods, or the canteen has wonderful smelling chicken burgers waiting for your arrival, we will eat the food that isn't good for us and that can result in bad skin or weight gain. Of course, this isn't going to apply to everyone, I know that, i'm just putting this out there~ The shop here at my uni has weird and wonderful foods and snacks that i'm very willing to try, and I find myself scoffing fatty foods and sweets nearly all the time, and I realise i've eaten millions of peanut butter cups when it's too late. I'm not saying it's bad for you to have sweets, but every once in a while is fine, just not all the time - THINK ABOUT YOUR SKIN!! Here are a few tips that i've done to maintain my weight and make sure I don't pile on the pounds
- Set a uni "diet" before you leave for uni. What I mean by this is, eat food that is cheap to get, but good for you and live off of it for a month or longer, that way you'll get into a routine of eating those kind of foods, you'll know what you like and how much of it you will eat, that way nothing will go to waste and you can keep a good tab on how much you spend on a food shop.
- Keep fruit in your fridge. I do think this is important! Fruit is good for you and tastes wonderful, so if you are feeling peckish after your meal, grab an apple or banana, or whatever fruit you like and eat that -it'll also be a part of one of your five a day~
This is all i'm going to type up for tough times today~
Of course you can take all this on board, some of it on board, or none of it, that is entirely your decision!
Thanks for reading this blog post, i'll try my best to type up more and blog more!
