Just over a year ago, I emptied my room, kissed goodbye to Lancaster and handed back the keys to my student flat for the last time. I think a lot of people tend to enjoy their first year at uni and get progressively more disenchanted as the work increases throughout the years, but for me it was the other way round. I felt that I was finally finding myself at uni just as it was coming to an end which made this moment all the more bittersweet for me. I was glad I had finally achieved what I was there for but I was devastated to be leaving student life behind!
I am lucky enough to have parents who kindly allowed me to move back into my old bedroom as though I had never left and life resumed as normal. Except that for the first time in my life I didn’t have a plan for what was coming next. Like many people, I definitely came down with a case of post-uni blues. When I first came home, I pined for my grimy student kitchen. I missed deciding which rogue hair in the shower belonged to which of my flatmates. I even longed to stay up until 6am drinking cheap energy drinks and desperately trying to get the word count of my essay up to 3,000. But really, I just missed my freedom. However, a few months after finishing uni, I came to realise that actually, life afterwards isn’t really so bad.
Lack of Social Life VS Having True Friends
Myself and my friends have taken on jobs with hours so varied that it makes it almost impossible for big get-togethers. However, I now realise that it’s much better to have a smaller group of friends who make you feel good about yourself than a large group who don’t really care. I have friends who I’ll probably only see and speak to sporadically, but I’ve also realised that the mark of a true friendship is going months and months without hearing from someone and then when you finally meet again, it’s like you’ve never been apart.
Being Unemployed VS Freedom
I am currently working part-time and although there have been plenty of times when I’ve wished that I had the stability of a full-time wage, I know just how essential this year has been for me. It’s given me time to overcome plenty of obstacles I have faced and it has allowed me the time to find out what I really love doing. At the minute, I’m torn between two entirely different paths but I know that soon enough the decision will be made and I’ll be on my way to starting the rest of my life.
Cost of Living VS Being Financially Independent
If I were you, if you’re not in a student bar, I’d consider asking the bartender how much a Jägerbomb is before you drunkenly decide to buy a round for your extended group of friends. Gone are the days of 3 for £5 Fridays and 3-for-1 Thursdays – the best deal I’ve seen in my home town is 13 cocktails for the price of 12 (no, I’m not joking). But despite all that, there’s something extremely satisfying about earning your keep without relying on a loan and it feels good to get that pay check at the end of the month (however big or small it may be)!
Loss of Independence VS Being with Family
Yes, I might live in constant fear of someone barging in on me whilst I’m getting dressed but there’s no place I feel more safe or more loved than home sweet home. There’s definitely no place I’d rather be on a Friday night than having a takeaway and film night with my family and my boyfriend and I can’t see that ever changing. I know plenty of people who have moved away from home to a new place, completely alone, who are not enjoying it. The fact is, it’s not as easy to make friends in a new town as it is during Freshers’ Week so it’s definitely not a bad thing to stay with people you know and love until you find somewhere that you know you’ll be happy.
No More Student Discount VS…
Nope, definitely can’t find a silver-lining in this one…
Rachel x
Rachel M Howorth 