Sugar High. (Candy)

“I can’t do this anymore.”

The rich chocolate now leaving a horrible aftertaste in my mouth, I put down the hedgehog slice and tried to forget about the fact that I had, once again, induced a headache from excessive sugar consumption.

Today – it was a white mocha and hedgehog slice from Plush Fish. I’ve been working my way around, though: last Thursday morning, Macca’s Hot Cakes for breakfast; Friday lunch was an apple and cinnamon muffin and hot chocolate from Amos Cookies. Oh, and when asked how many sugars I wanted in my drink, I instantly said “three.” Barista amusement ensued.

Uni is well and truly back, it would appear – if my shrinking bank balance is anything to go by. This semester I’ve got something scheduled every single day, and while the sugar may help me get through it all, I suppose it’s also adding to my increasingly sluggish state.

I WILL LEARN.

I’m 100% happy with my subject selection this time round: Introduction to Cinema Studies; American Classics; Media and Society; Brand Management. I decided to go with my gut, instead of diverging, as I did last year, and this is the wonderful result. I’m focusing on what I’m truly interested in and fascinated by, and so far my interest hasn’t dropped. Good sign? I think so.

I was trying to work out where exactly I went wrong last year, and as I was sitting on the second floor of Melbourne Central, staring at the cars and buses passing underneath me and my sucrose-infused lunch, it suddenly all made sense.

I had been looking forward to uni for so damn long – from year eleven it had become pretty much the definition of Heaven for me. So naturally, by the time I was being welcomed onto campus as a bright-eyed first year, my expectations had exploded to a seriously unattainable level.

Not so much the uni itself fell short of my expectations – I mean, Melbourne Uni? A disappointment? HARDLY.

It was more my own experience that shocked me. And how I, personally, dealt with the transition that disappointed me.

I knew I was finally going to be allowed to be myself, free of judgment, seeing as no-one knew me pre-2011. But instead of embracing this fact, as I had intended to do, I found myself falling back into bad habits, and still maintaining a reserved attitude socially.

And it was hard. Seriously hard. I felt stuck, and eventually gave up. I hated uni. I wanted out.

It wasn’t until my hearing (yes, it’s called that) with the Unsatisfactory Progress Committee that I realised my perception of the University had been all wrong. I saw it as this huge institution that, in being so large, was inevitably too far-removed from its students to be able to provide proper, personal assistance. I received help, though. Invaluable help.

I JUST HAD TO PUT MYSELF IN A POSITION TO RECEIVE IT.

And that’s where this Blog Entry is going – the transition to a tertiary atmosphere is so damn extreme that for a fair few of you won’t help but feel like you’re floundering. If you keep your eyes open long enough though you’ll be able to direct yourself to shore with the help of the lifesavers that are the Student Centre and Academic Skills Unit, among other services.

Your uni experience is like any other aspect of your life – it’s what you make of it – so don’t sell yourself short. If it’s not working, identify the issue and make some sort of shift so you’re back in control and most of all CONTENT with where you’re at.

That’s all I had to do. I planned my subjects right up to the last semester of my degree, and I’m definitely looking forward to making my way through my course now.

Most importantly, I’m not being too idealistic about what the future holds, but just remaining content and open-minded. Things seem to work out better that way. I’m not trying to sugar-coat the experience only to get to the end of the semester/year feeling nauseated by a negative turn of events.

Now to somehow apply this approach to my eating habits.

ON IT.