Tips To Help Make The Most of Your University Experience
We may only be entering the second half of the Michaelmas term, but I thought since most of us will be settled in comfortably now and deadlines are surely on the horizon too, that it would be a good idea to give some words of wisdom to those who might be feeling a little conscious or anxious about how to stay organized, productive and well adjusted during this turbulent time. Here is a compilation of my own thoughts and ideas that I believe will help you to make positive, managable changes to your life whilst at University.
Develop a system of organisation
I think this is perhaps the most important in regards to general university work and personal focus. I keep a diary in my bag which I carry with me everywhere which details what I've outlined for each day of the week and in addition to that allows me to plan forward and keep meetings, lectures and other commitments from being scheduled over one another. Despite this often being quite strict, it's helped me to understand how to budget my time effectively and after adapting this method over the course of this academic year I can honestly say that I'll never go back. The attitude of just turning up to things and leaving assignments until the night before is not only dangerous but unneeded and stressful. It may be the easiest way to manage your time, but in the long run especially as deadlines and the like begin to dominant your timetable you will be thankful for having such a rigid plan of action in place.
Eat well
This one is also unbelievably important - whilst it is inevitable at Uni that you're going to have to succumb to the odd pizza, late night Sultans or Spar dash, it is essential that you balance these splurges with a balanced diet that consists of a variety of your preferred 'healthy foods'. An excuse I've seen people use in the past to avoid eating healthier is that it costs more, but this couldn't be more wrong! If you make meals in larger batches, with ingredients that stay fresh longer (such as chilli or curry) then you can freeze the leftovers and use them throughout the week! You’re only doing yourself an injustice by not making these changes and whilst a diet of pot noodle, microwavable mash potato and spar budget energy drinks may seem like the right idea at the time, filling your fridge with fresh veggies and lean meats is a much kinder choice to your body.
Exercise as much as you can
This is like killing two birds with one stone in regards to both physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing too. Exercise enables you to feel good about your body, as you can afford to be more lenient with what you eat whilst still making positive changes. For me, running has been the best discovery I have ever made. It takes relatively little skill, but does require perseverance and determination at the beginning. It may be tough to get yourself out of bed at 7:30 to hit the gym or the trails for the first week or so, but once you hit that rhythm and begin to reap the benefits you'll never want to go back.
Spend time around people that make you feel good
It's so important to do this on a regular basis - mixing with people who are going to push you to achieve, whilst also nurturing you should you ever feel upset is an absolute life saver in the stressful environment that is university. Gathering opinions, experiences and advice from those going through the exact same thing as you can be both a helpful and calming practise, as it relieves you of feeling overwhelmed by commitments and verbalises your worries in a healthy and constructive way.
Openly engage with problems instead of ignoring them
This goes along a similar vein to the previous tip, but by engaging with problems you may be having you are forging a life skill that will save you both time and energy in the future as more stressful ventures begin to arrive. How you engage with them is entirely your choice, through discussion with tutors, trusted friends or by making list, diagrams or mind maps it is something personal that will do you a world of good.
Make use of university resources
We all pay an extortionate amount of money every year in university fees, so why disregard help that is available at hand from such vast personnel that are both dedicated and specially trained to help give you the support you need to make it through the three years you will hopefully be spending at Lancaster University. Whether it's making an appointment at the base or with a wellbeing officer, or even meeting with your course convenor or personal tutor, these people are here with the intention to help make your life as easy and stress-free as possible, so to disregard their help would be an injustice to yourself.
Keep your living environment clean
They say a clean space is a clean mind and I totally support that. Whether it's keeping your sheets, clothes and room fresh or having a communal environment that is both clean and comfortable, these factors play a large role on your mental health whether you are conscious of it or not.
Join societies!
This was something I think I painfully underestimated in my first two years at university - societies are the perfect place to meet likeminded people who share your ideals, hobbies and skills and regardless of whether it's a sport like football or an activity such as gaming or wine drinking, being able to regularly mix with new faces will help you to grow socially and personally as you soak up the experiences and opinions of others.
BREATHE!
This may be last but it's certainly not least! Taking a step back and having a bit of a breather is something we could all use sometimes, especially after reading a dense article with a range of seemingly ambiguous advice such as this one!
I hope what I've written here is use to some of you, as it is really a collection of thoughts that I feel would have aided me greatly had I read it even a matter of months ago.
The Grow Our Minds campaign is something that LUSU is currently in the process of putting together and is essentially group of people who will be volunteering time to listen to those who may need someone to speak to in a friendly and safe environment. More information will be coming soon about this as we as a College are very excited to partake in such an enriching and helpful campaign.
⁃ Sam Cooper (Bowland Magazine Editor)
