You know when you finally finish something that's been looming over you for ages, and you feel like all you want to do is exhale, eat 15 chocolate biscuits (just me?) and sleep for a week? That's pretty much my mood right now, except I've only had 3 biscuits. Today was my final Christmas exam, and I couldn't be more relieved. In fairness, I only had 2 exams which was very fair, but they were two tricky subjects - Microeconomics and Accounting - and both were about as fun as sitting on a hedgehog.
Anyway, when I started college, for the first few weeks or so I had this niggling feeling of "Will I stick this? Am I socialising enough? Am I doing college right?" And this blog post is for anyone going through their first year of college thinking those exact same thoughts, or anyone who is interested in going to college, because I know there will be many people who feel this way.
There is no right way to do college. The media portrays college as this whole new dimension of life where you 'hook up' with 15 different people a week, get roaring drunk every night, partying 24/7, doing lines of cocaine off your lecturer's desk (pugs not drugs guys) and general mayhem. In reality, it's usually not like that.
If you're sitting there wondering if you're doing college right, stop it now. It will only lead to worrying and you'll make yourself self conscious. You don't have to conform to the whole party lifestyle if that's not your thing. If you're like me and have nights where you'd rather sit at home in your fluffy hedgehog pyjamas and your rabbit dressing gown with a hot chocolate watching YouTube videos, there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes the hangovers just aren't worth it.
Seriously though, maybe I sound like an old wan, but for me I love going out in moderation. I wouldn't be able to go on the lash every single night but I still enjoy dressing up and going out and having fun.
Not drinking = no friends? Not true. Most colleges have loads of clubs and societies you can join, not to mention movie nights and table quizzes. There are plenty of things to do that don't have to involve getting drunk if you're not into that!
On the flipside, student pubs also often host student nights where they do various events such as quizzes, DJ competitions and even a Take Me Out style dating thing. Athlone IT even hosted a Halloween party in the college itself and it was actually great. The Hospitality students made nibbles and cocktails, people got dressed up and the building was decorated nicely. Keep an eye out for similar events in your college, you'd be surprised how well executed they are!
You will have days where you feel like you're drowning. Whether it be because of money, relationship issues or studies. I've had days where I sit at the table panicking about everything under the sun and wondering if it's worth it. It will be. When I'm able to shower my family and friends with lavish gifts and sun myself on a beach somewhere exotic, it will be worth it. I tell myself this whenever I get worried, go and give my boyfriend a big hug and then try and forget about it.
Sometimes you need to delegate your worries. Put the least important one in a box and sort out the urgent things. If you're drowning in studies, figure out which subject is wrecking your head the most and deal with that. Go to the library and work in peace for half an hour, or an hour, and then take a break. You'll see that things aren't as shite as they seem!
If you are really getting yourself into a tizzy and feel really stressed remember most colleges have free counselling services which are actually really good, and there's nothing to be ashamed about - lots of people are in the same boat.
Never underestimate the power of free food. Athlone IT Student Union often has baskets of free food from Tesco. Initially I felt like a right eejit going and taking free bread but now I couldn't care less. To quote Ellie Goulding, 'bitches gotta eat'. I've got some cracking bits of food from there before, and it's really nice to know you'll have a nice meal even if your bank account looks like it's about to close itself due to low funds. Also, you probably will have days where all you eat is crisps and noodles. It happens.
Also, if you volunteer to help out at Open Days, you might just get paid on your student card to do it. Free canteen food and chocolate bars? Yes please.
YouTube is the bomb for learning. It sounds bizarre but when I'm sitting there scratching my head about something, I shtick on a YouTube video and it explains it in 3 minutes better than an hour of reading an old revision book ever could. Bonus points if you don't get distracted and start watching makeup tutorials afterwards.
So there you have it. A brief insight into the true student life and all its ups and downs. Hopefully that was helpful for at least one person. And remember, enjoy yourself. After all, college is meant to be about ~self discovery and all that jazz. Now, I'm off to cry while looking at next semester's timetable. Bye!
