The Five Stages Of Becoming A Uni Student by Sage Fitzpatrick

Becoming a university student is tough. Even before you start your term you’ve completed hours and hours of coursework, sat numerous exams and driven your family mad. You’ll spend your summer waiting for your results and even then your journey is still just at the beginning. So here at The Student Pocket Guide we thought we’d prepare you for the stages that are to come. Good luck.

Stage One: Bewilderment

Your results are in and you’ve been offered a place at a university. Brilliant. Gazing at your offer of acceptance you wonder how, and then why and then how again. You don’t want to blink incase somehow the result changes. So you just sit and stare. You can’t believe that after all the months of studying and procrastination (we’ve all been there) that your college life is over and now your university life is beginning.

Stage Two: Eagerness

Once you’ve actually begun breathing again and are over the shock of getting into university, you begin to plan your next few months. You make a vow to yourself and anyone else who is listening that you will attend all your lectures, you will not spend the night before a huge deadline in the library just beginning on your essay and you will not spend every night in the SU drinking away your student loans.

Stage Three: Terror

Accepting your place at university actually means you have to go. There’s no playing at it. There’s no pretending, you actually have to begin your studies in September and hiding at home is not an option. What happens if you don’t make any friends? (You will) What happens if you fall behind in work? (You won’t) If anyone utters the u word, your heart begins to race, you start sweating and you look around for the nearest cupboard to lock yourself in. Or calmly grab a paper bag and breathe into it until your breathing slows to a normal rate.

Stage Four: Denial

Your stuff is all packed. You’ve managed to cram your entire life into a few suitcases and cardboard boxes. Things for your new home have been bought and you’ve already had your leaving party. This is it.  You’re leaving home for the first time and moving to somewhere different, with no one you know and where everything is completely new. But apparently this doesn’t mean anything to you at this moment in time. In your head leaving home isn’t happening. You’ll wake up next week in your childhood bedroom, head downstairs and have breakfast with your family and then head of to college or your part time job, just like you have been doing for the past few months.

Stage Five: Happiness

After all the panicking and preparation your emotions finally start to even themselves out and ignoring the occasional bouts of nervousness you actually feel pretty happy about the prospect of going to university. Yes it will be hard work, but you will be studying something that hopefully interests you and helps you progress onto the next stage of your career. You’ll also make friends that will stay with you for life, as well as proudly showing of your new home and university campus to your friends and family back home. You’ve worked hard to get a place at university and beginning your studies in September actually makes you feel pretty proud of yourself and excited for what is to come.

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