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Four things I've learnt from Four years at Uni

As I'm now in my final term of uni I thought I'd write a piece about my university experience as a whole. There have been some serious highs but also some serious lows and I can honestly say this final year has probably been the hardest year I've ever had; not just study wise but also emotionally. So with that in mind I'm kind of in shock that I've only got a month left. After a year of running home every weekend just to cope, experiencing anxiety and all levels of mood swings and (for the first time ever) attending pretty much all my seminars, I am stunned that it's coming to an end. 
Despite this year not being the one, there have been some good points and looking at the past four years I've definitely learnt some things that I wanted to share.

1) You make friends for life.
Like school you're gonna meet a lot of shitty people, but once you sift through them you meet some pretty awesome ones too. I've met some of my closest friends at uni and couldn't imagine them not being in my life. This is a big reason I value my university experience as these people have taught me so much and I know they'll always be in my life. 

2) Casual sex isn't that glamorous. 
I remember in 6th form it was like uni is the place you're gonna get laid and I fully embraced that in first and second year (no judgement please). From having this care free mind set I definitely got myself in to some messy situations and possibly some regretful ones. There were also great ones too don't get me wrong, but I'm definitely a lot more guarded when it comes to sexual partners now and that's definitely something being at uni taught me. 

3) Anxiety is a thing. 
Before second year I was pretty anxiety free; if I had a slight pain in my left arm it didn't translate to a heart attack and panic attacks weren't a part of my vocabulary. Sadly for some reason being at uni sparked my anxiety and it's still something I have. I've learnt loads of coping mechanisms and practice CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) but it's still something I live with that I particularly relate to my uni experience. 

4) I'm there to study.
I know this sounds so obvious but with the going out, lying in bed and meeting new people it can be really easy to forget that the main reason I'm at uni is to study. I've had to constantly remind myself of this in fourth year as each time I run off home or feel miserable there I have to check myself and remember that I'm there to smash this degree.

So those are four things that I've learnt over the past four years. I'm aware a lot of this post has sounded quite negative and that's definitely a symptom of my feelings towards my degree but it wasn't all bad and who knows, maybe in six months I might have a completely different opinion on the whole experience. I would still encourage people to go to uni as it's been such a valuable thing and I've developed a lot as a person, however I would say tread with caution if it's four years as it can be really challenging. 
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