Settled in…now to study (Jane)
To me – it seems like it has taken me a VERY long time to really get settled in, only 3 weeks left until the end of semester classes, SWOTVAC and exams and I’m feeling the academic stress start to load up. For much of the first half of the semester, socialising was priority #1, everything else came later. That meant cocktail nights, cAMP, longggg breaks between classes to get to know new friends, birthday parties, dinners, movies, ANYTHING other than study really. One can get caught up in the hype and the time flies by way too fast before you realise the first half of the year is almost over. I spent a lot of time thinking a bit too much as to why this transition was harder than I thought it would be. “Is it me?” “Why is it that making friends is so much harder in uni than in high school?”…” I wish I could see everyone more often”..and the thoughts linger in the back of my mind all the time, but don’t feel at all that it is abnormal to feel this way. I can finally say that I’ve settled in, have a great group of friends now that I know I can call and meet, study with and hang out on a regular basis.
This has all come at a cost. Inconsistent study and really only doing work for something immediately due. 9 weeks in, and quite behind, I’ve gotta rev myself up and get into it. I never thought a study buddy would actually work, finding the right person can be really hard but one bit of advice I can give is to look for someone…just as behind as you. haha. I’ve tried working with the kids on track, thinking I can catch up, but uni subjects don’t work that way. They build and build and build on last weeks’ lectures and you almost always need to go all the way back to square one. Anyway, this one partner, revising and doing online work from where you are working aswell keeps you on track, more motivated and have a much more positive outlook on study.
Since after the Easter break, I’ve felt that I’ve been really able to turn over a new leaf. Lecturers change, subject content changes and you can start afresh. It’s a good feeling, and staying on top of the 2nd half of the semesters work can be enough to keep your spirits up. Uni life is new, it is falling down and pulling yourself back up. But we don’t have to feel like we’re alone. A few friends found counselling service to be quite helpful – close to campus and a phone call away, Academic Skills can help students create a study plan and give some advice on taking notes, . This is a steep learning curve, a new chapter in our lives and I’d love to come out of it to say I gave it my best shot.
Like Jessica, I also spent a heap of time missing high school. I’ve grown very fond of my beloved teachers and small class sizes, the interaction and . The whole independent learning thing about uni – I underestimated. Big lecture theatres, sometimes scary prac demonstrators, new labs, confusion all over the place and only one person to blame, yourself ): Had a is uni really for me? phase too – but it all just takes time and everyone settles in at their own pace, once the: Not really knowing what was going on, having to find out everything yourself , no bells to remind you to go to class! (turned up late to quite a few tutes in the first few weeks..walking into the wrong room, wrong tutor, sitting down, realising 10 minutes in and then having to stand up and leave to go to the right one – can be quite frustrating) PART of uni is accepted and handled, I’m happy to say, it all starts falling into place.
Off to do a heap of catch up work, talk to you soon,
x jane