What I have learnt from my first year at university.

Completing your first year of university is a great achievement. You have successfully lived away from home for a year and you are a third of the way to finishing your degree! This blog post will explain all that I learnt during my first year at university and what you can expect to learn after you finish your first year this time next year.

First of all, I have learnt that it is okay to be alone and that it can be fun being alone. As an introvert, I love spending time by myself but I was rarely alone before university. From completing my first year of university, I learnt that I’d rather not live with people I have just met, and that it is okay to take my time and not rush finding friends. I also learnt that I would rather be by myself than with people I do not get along with, and that is okay!

I learnt that is is essential to eat fruit!! One week I bought way less fruit than I normally did and it was all gone after a few days. The days went by where I hadn’t eaten any fruit, I soon started to feel weak and sluggish, it was like my bones were in pain! After realising I felt that way because of the lack of fruit in my diet, I went to Lidl to stock up on plenty of fruit. Within a few hours I felt so much better and more energised. From then on, I always made sure to buy lots of fruit to keep me healthy!

Following on from the first point, I also learnt how to say “no” better and decline plans if I do not want to do them. At the beginning of university, I was easily pressured into doing something just because I wanted to be polite, but by the end of my first year, I learnt to stand up for myself and decline plans. I learnt that I do not have time to waste my energy on people I do not get along with, and that it is better to let them down gently than to continue a friendship that was not mutual. I learnt and understood who I wanted to spend time with and that it is okay to spend time with just one person because they were the only person I enjoyed spending time with.

I learnt how to type faster. A month or so before I started uni, I took a touch typing course, much like the ones you do in primary school computer lessons. It was fun for a while but I feel restricted with the finger placements. However, when I got to university, I found that I could type so much faster! So the touch typing lessons definitely did help, but after a year of uni, I have learnt to type even faster.

After my first year at university, I learnt how important it is to clean your living space. Luckily for me, I actually enjoyed cleaning my bathroom, vacuuming my floor, and wiping down everything. If I had left the cleaning for a little too long, I started to feel gross and unorganised. Before going to uni, I made sure I had all my cleaning supplies which included bleach, bathroom spray, sponges and wipes. The uni provides your flat with a vacuum cleaner, and dustpan and brush so you don’t have to lug them to Cardiff!

Lastly, I have learnt the importance of staying true to myself and working hard so I can be proud of myself. For me, those are the most important things to learn as I have discovered who I am as a person and the things I enjoy doing. I have learnt where I feel most comfortable and that is essential for my future endeavours.

Stay tuned for more videos and blogs!

Miah x