By Hannah Stainbank, Second-year, English
Navigating university definitely has its ups and downs. It can be hard not to feel like you should be making more of these short years as you struggle to fit anything else in. To help make sense of the chaos (and maybe make you feel a bit better about any questionable decisions you’ve made on a night out), Epigram spoke to final-year students who’ve been through it all. Whether you’re a fresher or a final-year, their reflections are full of honesty, mistakes, and hard-earned wisdom for you to take forward to whatever your next step may be.
One of the biggest challenges of university life is striking the balance between academics and, well, everything else. Esme, a sixth-year Medicine student, reflected on a conversation she had with a friend about to graduate. The friend felt that she would have failed university if she didn’t get a first, as ‘she never joined a society, never went to sports night, never really joined in “uni culture” because she was so focused on her first.’ Though the friend got a first and has since started a successful career, Esme believes that ‘university is as much about meeting people, joining societies, finding out you can’t drink Jagerbombs without getting palpitations, as it is about getting a degree.’
Katie, a third-year English student, agreed that there’s more to university than lectures and libraries: ‘Uni is all about meeting people and learning when to let people go.’
She added that one of the most valuable lessons was learning how to navigate the world on her own. It wasn’t always smooth. Going into third year, after a late decision not to take a year out, Katie found herself without accommodation. She was rejected from ‘probably 40 different places’ and was ‘considering living with a bunch of 60-year-old women.’ Finally, she found an ad on Facebook and took ‘a shot in the dark’, motivated by the fact that she liked the girl’s cowboy boots in her profile picture. All went well, and ‘now they’re three of my closest friends in the entire world’. Her advice for anyone looking for last-minute accommodation: ‘[N]ot everyone on Facebook is weird.’
Living with entirely new people in first year can be one of the most overwhelming (and exciting) elements of university. Nostalgia from our parents’ generation often creates pressure to make university the best years of our lives by cramming in as much as possible. However, it’s a good idea to try to make the most of these years. Nim Mudher, a fourth-year Biomedical sciences research student, says their biggest piece of advice is to ‘say yes to everything’ (within reason).
Ailsa, a fourth-year Art History and Spanish student, found that in her first year, ‘the chronic people-pleaser in me couldn’t say no to anything.’ Though it led to some good nights out, ‘I ended up painted green, passed out in my doorway, and my boyfriend at the time had to drag me up the stairs’. Ailsa soon felt burnt out.
‘Regrets are always a learning point’, she continued, ‘But if I could go back, I would just shake my shoulders and be like, “You’re your own person, you don’t have to please everyone all the time.”’
Esme shares the sentiment that it’s key to remember who you are. She found that one of the biggest learning curves was finding out ‘how many posh people there are!’ Her advice is to remember that ‘you worked as hard, if not harder, to get here. Try not to feel inadequate and be proud of where you’re from. And always, always, call out people who use the word “chav”.’
She also shares regret about not putting her mental health first, wishing she had asked for help sooner: ‘University is tough. You’re flung hundreds of miles away from all the support you’ve ever known, to live in shitty accommodation, to fend for yourself for the first time. It’s hard, and it’s ok if you find it hard.’
Lizzie, a fourth-year Economics and Management student, also shares that slipping into ‘nocturnal habits’ can be ‘so bad for your mental health’ and stresses the importance of going into university and making course friends. Though it’s all about balance, it’s also important to ‘go out and dance until morning and make those silly decisions. You will never have another time in your life to do that consequence-free!’
It all seems to come down to putting yourself out there and knowing it does all tend to work out in the end, even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment. Ailsa values being frank with yourself about the inevitable lows: ‘You’re not going to do well in every module. You’re going to get some bad grades, and you just have to tough it out. You’ll probably fall out with people, and boys will be mean, and you just have to learn from it.’ She finds the best way to pick yourself back up is by throwing yourself into your hobbies. Also, ‘being in La Rocca with all your pals, Cherry VK in hand, Sports Car by Tate McRae playing’ can’t hurt either.
2024/25 Academic year in review
‘The paranoia on a night out is constant’: The reality of nightlife for female students
Third-year Biology student, Charlie, said one of her favourite memories is ‘enjoying Bristol in the summer after exams’, and there’s still more of that to come. So, whether you’re just wrapping up your first year or counting down the days to graduation, it’s important to remember to slow down and take it all in. No one gets it completely right, and everyone’s journey through university often looks very different. It’s a few hectic years full of messy nights, mistakes, and friendships, but the best could still be yet to come.
As Katie puts it: ‘I’ve learned so much. I’m happy to close this Bristol chapter. I hope the best years of my life start now – what a blessing to be able to say that.’
Featured Image: Epigram / Nel Roden
What has been your biggest takeaway from your university experience?
