My Story: Lessons

1. University is not meant to break you down. If it is doing that, you’re doing university wrong.

2. Networking is key. The doors that have opened for me through just putting myself out there have been incredible. Don’t fear people, embrace their expertise.

3. Music is a lifesaver. To study to. To relax to. To dance to. To relate to. To cry to. Music can do it all. Use it.

4. Be civil. If you don’t like or agree with someone, keep it clean. Try not to be over-confrontational more than is necessary. It’s not worth your energy and time. You will be in close contact with everyone for years. Not to say you should suck up to anyone but make the next few years less awkward by being careful about how you approach and treat people.

5. Time is of the essence. But it is the one currency we all have access to. Use it wisely and do not waste this finite resource. Whatever using it fully means to you, please do it.

6. Be yourself. People change at university. They lose themselves. They conform. They forget their upbringing. Please don’t let that be you. Be strong and stand firm in who you are, and don’t let a new setting change that. There is a difference between letting university be a catalyst for your growth and letting university reshape you completely. Don’t let it be the latter.

7. You are not alone. Whatever it may be, keeping it to yourself is not the solution. Assimilating and letting things build up is wrong. So, allow yourself to release.