The Uni Experince
So this afternoon I have spent some time watching the series, International Student. Before you go ragging on me for not studying for my exams, I finished them a week ago, yes I am a music student. Anyway, I certainly recommend watching the series. It is based in Melbourne uni and centers around the life of three international students who live on campus.
Although the events in the episodes are very extreme they are certainly grounded in truth. We cannot deny some of the slightly stereotyped events occur as well as the absolute horror of group assignments. As the characters walked down familiar halls and sat in lecture theaters which have I endured hours in every week, I did find one thing for which I didn’t relate to.
As a domestic student that takes a train in from my family home, I have never really experienced the same comradery that the characters did. This is perhaps that they lived in close quarters and the university became almost all consuming. In contrast, I rock up to uni to go to my classes, put in some time in the practice rooms and maybe go to debating one a week. Sure I have made friends in uni but nothing so intense that I would help them move into a new place on a Sunday morning. Instead, I find myself still hanging out with the same girls I’ve had since grade seven. Not that this is a bad thing but I feel like I could be getting more involved and making more friends but instead I choose to mull over coffee with my old mates or just go home and sleep. I may be alone in this but sometimes I feel a disconnect. People have told me that in university I will find out who I am as a person and meet the friends that I will have for life. However, I already think I know who I am and I’ve got some pretty great mates. So am I missing out on the joys of university? Not having joined a sporting team, gotten into politics or moved into a college. It feels more clinical than that. I am there to go to classes and to have my mind challenged but maybe not to make friends. I’m hoping I just haven’t found the right club yet, gotten more interested in my fellow students and just need to get more involved. I really have no idea. If anyone else has an idea leave a comment.
Cheers,
Tessa
Also, go and listen to Catfish and The Bottlemen.
And another thing, it is super hard not to be swearing in these blog posts. Just letting you all know my troubles being appropriate
I don’t think you’re alone there, this really resonates with me too. Knowing I have a long commute means I’m less likely to stick around and more likely to go home straight away, slipping comfortably back into my routine with my high school friends. I’ve met some incredible people this semester, but it’s hard to say whether we’ll stay friends next semester as everything changes and we start fresh. But I’m hoping that it becomes easier in the years to come, and that maybe this is something we have to endure on a temporary basis? Only time will tell.
Thanks so much for your post, Tessa. It’s still very early days and your peers in your classes may well grow into friends over time. Some closer than others. Keeping in touch with your past friends is also important while these new friendships grow.
P.S. I’m loving watching International Student, too!
P.P.S. Congratulations on finishing your Semester 1 exams!!
To be honest I feel the same way, maybe it’s because the structure of uni is so different from high school – how we change timetable every semester instead of once a year, how we only get to see our tutorial buddies once every week instead of seeing your friends in class every day, how you met some amazing people during O-week and never see them again – in short, the missing sense of cohort maybe? I guess it’s something we all need to go through and only time will make a difference. We didn’t build up all the friendship with our high school friends in a semester did we? Plus we don’t have that much time together now 🙁 .
My plan for next semester (a spolier for my upcoming video?) is to continue keeping in touch with all the amazing people I’ve met this semester. Maybe trying to be in the same tutorial, go to the same club event or even a coffee catchup. I’m not very good at keeping in touch with people and in fact I feel like I’m already losing connections with some of my high school friends who go to RMIT or Monash, or even the same uni. So I should try to be proactive maybe.
P.S. Sorry this is a super long comment, but I guess it shows how much I can relate to this post.