University: myth vs. reality

‘University is easier than A Levels’

Most of us heard this one before starting university. Second year students will probably beg to differ and final years definitely will. While first year may not be the most academically challenging (it literally counts for nothing), the workload does steadily increase throughout the course of your degree (and it does start to count, unfortunately).

The conclusion: if you want to come out with one of the top classifications, you have to put in the hours at Ali G. So, in hindsight, this should probably be corrected to: ‘First year is easier than A Levels.’

Verdict: myth.

‘Your university days are the best of your life/University is one big party’

University offers freedom, independence and the opportunity to grow as an individual. There are new people, new places and a whole host of new things to get involved with. You will probably attend more nights out than lectures in your fresher year, this much is true. However, there are other things to contend with, which people fail to mention.

Homesickness, money worries and exam/essay related stress certainly don’t feel like a party. Plus, once you progress to second or third year, you may find that you hit the dance floor less (due to the previously mentioned increase in workload). It’s not all doom and gloom once the first year is over, though. On the whole, the good times definitely outweigh the bad times, and the shenanigans of your university years are never to be forgotten.

Verdict: reality, with a pinch of myth.

‘You meet your best friends at university’

Opinions on this differ, but university does give you the opportunity to build life-long friendships. Living together can make you really close, or it can highlight tensions within your friendship. Generally speaking though, as family support is not immediately on hand at uni, flatmates or coursemates often rely on each other to fill that gap and perform a similar role.

It can be easy to lose touch with friends at home or feel as though you no longer have much in common with them once you move away to start your degree. Having said that, there are always those friends you see at home during holidays, with whom things always stay the same. It seems like people find out who their real friends are during this period, and this can often consist of a mix of uni and home based friends.

Verdict: for some a reality, for some a myth.

Student loan = shop until you drop

Now, I don’t know about you, but I was quite disappointed when I found out that my student loan literally covered my rent and tuition fees. AND NOTHING ELSE.

There was not even a penny spare to be spent on alcohol, clothes or Nando’s, as I had been led to believe that there might be. Before arriving in Manchester, I was under the impression that students spent a high percentage of their time happily squandering their loans in the Arndale (using their discount of course). Unfortunately not, that’s where the overdraft comes in.

Verdict: myth.

 ‘You will have soooo much sex’

This really depends on the individual; there are those who shag anything with a pulse during Freshers Week. Equally, there are those with other halves back at home or at other universities, who are too loved up to so much as glance at the relationship status on another’s Facehall t-shirt. Then there are those who meet a long-term boyfriend/girlfriend at uni and of course, there are those who become or remain single, and have as much or as little fun as they want.

Verdict: for some a reality, for some a myth.