University is like a Fairground Ride

University is like a Fairground Ride

Highs & lows…

It’s true! University is like a fairground ride; daunting, captivating and exhilarating. In fact, as any students will substantiate, university is closely akin to Blackpool’s infamous ‘Big Dipper’. It’s a fast ‐paced ride full of highs and lows.

Depending on your disposition, it’s normally those long hours of toil, tears and turmoil preceding an essay submission deadline that make up the vast majority of the lows. However, such a state of delirium is usually induced by a combination of self‐imposed sleep deprivation, excessive consumption of caffeine‐based liquids and the realisation that having “a few quiet drinks” a few days before the deadline, in hindsight, was perhaps not the best idea.

Any self‐respecting student experiences this scenario at least once during their university career. However, you can always take heart from the thought that, somewhere, there is some poor soul in a much worse position. As a good friend of mine once put it, “when you have seen the sun rise and set for three consecutive days, begin worrying.”

Of course, university isn’t all about lectures, libraries and late night study sessions. In truth, it can be rather hard to find ‘the me time’ to indulge in a few hours of solitary confinement in the library. Mainly, this is because the word ‘library’ should be replaced with the term ‘social club’.

Library gossip…

Whilst the average student spends many daylight hours ‘working’ in the library, very few of these are actually productive. Library sessions usually entail catching up on the latest scandalous gossip, perfecting the intricate art of designing a paper aeroplane and baiting the librarian to the point of no return; whereupon one is not so politely asked to remove their person from the vicinity (or words to that effect!).

Although such activities are thoroughly reprehensible, they also become highly entertaining when you’re faced with a stack of books, a pad of paper and an impending deadline.

All of the above supposes that you’re actually sober enough to make it out of bed, put on some clothes and trudge several hundred metres down the road to university.

Sing in an airless and crowded lecture theatre, following an evening of merriment fuelled by cheap and cheerful alcohol, is certainly not the most pleasant of experiences. A word of warning: always remember never to mix the grape with the grain! The ensuing nauseous feeling is similar to riding a merry‐go‐round that is stuck on full throttle!

Well well guys, Pressure, pushing down on me, pressing down on you…

Breathe, it’s cool. Pop the kettle on…[some coffee might do the trick!]

A few tips:

Choose different environments to work in. If you’re finding it a drag to work in your bedroom, go to the library or to a friend’s house. This will give you a fresh perspective on the work. Believe me; you can’t just stare at the same four walls all day!

Most importantly, learn to relax. If you plan your time efficiently, you’ll be able to socialise and see your friends. That’s not to say you should hit an 80s Cheese Dance Party the night before an exam, but when you are making a revision schedule, you should plan for extra-curricular activities too. After all, future employers will be looking for rounded individuals, not just bookworms.

I wish you all the best with your exams and for those graduating this year, the world awaits you and it is in my prayers that you will have a smooth sailing out there.

Best Wishes!

Bea~ International Student Ambassador for East Africa