15 Things Graduates Miss Most About Student Life

I'm slowly starting to realise the truth that I am no longer a student - even though my student ID card says otherwise. I am now a graduate. But what does that really mean. I don't feel any different to how I did this time last year. Other than knowing a bit more about certain authors and understanding the real meaning of hard work, I still feel like the same person. Graduate life is supposed to be even more exciting than student life. I don't have to go to lectures or write essays any more, I can read whatever I want and I am about to start my career. But the reality is, for me at least, that I'm in a similar situation to where I was before university, except for now I have a massive student debt as well. The summer was good, taking a break to relax from all my exams (well actually just one exam..), free-time to meet up with all my friends and sort myself out. But now seeing some of my friends going back to university and everyone getting prepared for Freshers', the brutal truth is hard to take. I am not going back. That chapter of my life is over and it's time to start the next one.

Some of my friends have already found great jobs, moved to London and started earning a real salary or they're going to travel the globe and discover their inner self. I'm not quite there yet shall we say - living at home with my mum and two dogs, and working at a local pub. But I believe that everyone's journey is different and if I keep working hard, my time will come (sorry for the cliché). I thought that the best way to get over being a student is to make a list of what I (and hopefully others too) miss about student life, that way I can come up with replacements sooner.

So here is a list of 15 things graduates miss most about student life: 

1. Student loan - I'm pretty sure everyone will be able to relate to this. Having money in the bank when you've done absolutely nothing to deserve it's great. The only problem is when you have to start paying it back.

What are we even doing here?

2. Student nights out with all your friends - When you're a student there's always an opportunity to go out with your friends, have a good time and worry about the money you spent in the morning. The unknown adventures are what make student nights so amazing.

3. Living in a student house - Although a lot of people complain about living in student houses and how dirty they can be, it's actually really nice to have somewhere of your own where you won't be hassled about washing up or shoes left lying around.

4. Sports facilities - I used to complain about spending £200 on a years gym membership but it's actually a fantastic offer, especially when I lived a 5 minute walk away. Now I have to spend £5 per group class and even more for using the gym equipment. I definitely regret not going more when I had the chance.

Freshers' Fair last year

5. University sports teams - Being part of a sports team is the best thing about university, or at least it was for me. You make some really great friends, learn new skills, keep fit and have events organised for you. Again the cost is dramatically less than joining local clubs and most of the other members will be just like you - young students rather than grannies or school kids. This is definitely what I will miss the most.

6. University societies - Similar to number 5. Societies at university are great. There's so much choice, you meet new people and have the opportunity to take on responsibilities which benefit you. Never again will you find so many clubs provided for under one group.

7. Being part of a student community - Living within walking distance of all my friends was something new for me. I absolutely loved it. Walking to the shops, around the supermarket, and to and from university, you are continually bumping into friends. It's certainly hard to feel lonely.

8. Free time - As a student I had a lot of free time (I know that some subjects don't get as much but the majority of us aren't in university from 9-5). I have free time now but I'm expected to be doing something worthwhile. At university you have free time when you're actually allowed to do nothing.

9. Freedom - Some graduates still have the same freedom as they did as a student but quite a lot don't - including me. At university you are completely your own person, able to do whatever you want, pretty much whenever. If you're at living at home with your family like me, you have to continually plan your day around others. Luckily I have my own car, otherwise I'd probably be pulling my own hair out.

Halloween costumes

10. Students themselves - Not only do I miss my friends, whether they're still at university or doing their own thing now, I miss being surrounded my like-minded people.

11. Fancy dress - Wearing the most unusual costumes for nights out is okay because you're a student. You can express your creativity in so many ways and it's legitimate to have spent your whole day creating an amazing outfit. Also, what are you supposed to do now with the collection of fancy dress you've accumulated over the last 3 years?

12. Spending all day in bed under the pretence of reading/studying - Especially studying English, the chance to stay in bed all day and still be productive was the best. Now I have chores, family meals, work or the gym to go to. I definitely can't get away with 'working' in a same way.

Tour 2013

13. Sports tours - Hockey tours were crazy. The saying 'what goes on tour, stays on tour' definitely applies here but if any of us did those things, or saw the same things when we weren't students we'd probably be appalled.

14. The support - I don't think you realise it until you leave but you have so much support around you at university. From lecturers and tutors to help you with your studies, careers advisers, your parents and your friends. But once you leave everyone suddenly expects you to be a grown-up capable of doing everything yourself, and sometimes it's a big step up.



15. Last but not least VARSITY - I cannot stress how much I loved varsity. It's the one day when the whole university comes together in support of one another. It's like a sports extravaganza and my life will not be the same without it.

VARSITY WINNERS 2014

Hopefully this list didn't come across as entirely negative, and it should prompt some of my friends who are still at university to make the most of student life and the opportunities it brings. Next I'll write about being a graduate and what I'm up to in my search for a position to start my career.

My Last 2 Weeks in Leicester

Following on from my last post, I attempted to make the most of my last 2 weeks in Leicester. I made a list of things I wanted to have done before I left and now, having moved home about a week ago, I am going to report on how they went.

I didn't manage to complete all 8 of the ideas on my list. In fact, I only managed 5 of them. Part of this was because I went home for the first weekend and the other part was because of the amount of 'celebrating' I was doing, I had to write off a couple of days for recovery. Although 5 of 8 isn't too bad, at least I've left myself some things to do when I visit at some point in the future.

First up was the international supermarket. I decided to walk there in flip flops rather than drive on a very hot Thursday.. not my best decision. By the time I got there I was really thirsty and just wanted to sit down. But, it was definitely worth it. It's not as big inside as you would expect but there is so much stuff in there it's amazing. It felt a bit odd wandering around a supermarket like it's a museum but it really was quite interesting to walk around. I ended up taking so many pictures that I used up all of my phone battery.

They had lots of vegetables I had never heard of, giant fish loose in lots of freezers, a meat counter selling all different types of meat, including goat! They had massive bags of powdered mashed potato, aisles and aisles of rice (which all looked the same to me) and a whole aisle dedicated to pasta! My favourite part was a cake counter they had near the back which housed about 30 different, large cakes with bright icing. They looked so good I could hardly tell if they were real or not. 

After wandering around for about an hour, I bought some of the food colourings and flavourings I needed for making sweets (also on my list); some spices I needed, some pasta and multi-coloured vermicelli. Although I took £20 to spend I ended up only spending £6 (partly because I didn't want to carry too much home). I had planned to go back on another day with my car but I ran out of time. I'd recommend everyone have a look there though, I was very impressed.

Next, in the order I completed them in, was making sweets. This took me longer than expected, not because making the sweets was all that hard but finding all the ingredients, especially for the cola cubes, was difficult. Other than heating the sugar to the right temperature, which is much easier to gauge with a sugar thermometer (luckily I already had one of these), making them was quite easy. The wine gums were really easy to make and tasted pretty good. The cola cubes were harder but mainly because the mixture cooled down really quickly so a lot got left behind in my saucepan and jug. I think the next sweets I'm going to make are rhubarb and custards which look even harder.. I'll let you know how they go.

I then wasted a couple of days doing nothing much which meant I had even less time and I ended up having to do a couple of things from my list on the same day. On the last Thursday, a friend who left university the year before came back to visit for a couple of days. So I decided she could join in helping me accomplish the ideas on my list too.
As she's a vegetarian it made the next thing on my list a bit easier to do. I wanted to try to make a meal with food only bought in the market and although there is a new meat and fish section in the Leicester markets, it is primarily a fruit and vegetable market. Cooking for two, I decided I would make a three course meal instead of one course, adding to the challenge. Although I bought almost every ingredient in the market, there were a few things I already had or couldn't get there, but I did my best. We cooked all of the food together and it was really easy to do. (If you want recipes let me know.) It's fair to say we were a little full after all of this, especially before a night out but definitely better than my normal tomato pasta.

The menu went as follows:

Starter: Spinach and leek pancakes with grated parmesan.

Main: Soy mince chilli with rice

Dessert: Low fat chocolate and banana brownies with vanilla ice cream.

Somehow between all the food shopping and cooking, we managed to fit in going to The Pheonix to see Grace of Monaco. After seeing that Rotten Tomatoes had given it 1 star I was highly apprehensive about watching this film. But I didn't want to see any of the others and the trailer looked good so I went for it anyway. (Before the film they advertised a new movie called Downhill which looked really funny, like a middle aged version of The Inbetweeners, which I now really want to watch too.)
All in all, I thought Grace of Monaco was pretty good. I'd give it 3 stars. The costumes, something I always notice, were really amazing, especially Nicole Kidman's dresses; the acting and scriptwriting were good and the historical content was informative and engaging. One criticism I would make was that the camera angles and the tendency to zoom-in and linger on Nicole Kidman's face was quite off putting, and detracted from the scene. Overall, though, I was very happy we managed to squeeze this in and I think I'll be looking out for more alternative cinemas in the future.

The final thing I managed to complete on my list was a big picnic with all my friends in Victoria Park. When I say big I mean BIG. Postponing this from Friday to Saturday was the best decision we made. I had forgotten that this was the day Kasabian were performing in Victoria Park. Although some of my friends had tickets, quite a lot didn't so we sat just outside the walls listening with our ginormous picnic, which had everything you could possibly want (mountains of sandwiches, houmous, crisps, amazing pasta salad, 3 packets of party rings and loads more). You could hear the music really clearly and the atmosphere was so chilled that we ended up sitting here from 2pm 'til 10:30pm. This, combined with the university's Summer Festiball the next day, felt like the perfect end to a great three years at Leicester.

I didn't manage to see Richard III (but I sort of knew this was going to happen anyway), go to Sophbeck/Basement or have a day out with my camera. But I did manage to really enjoy my last 2 weeks in Leicester. After some research I saw that they are opening a new Richard III centre in Leicester in the middle of July so this is going to be a great excuse to come back and visit all my friends next year. Other than that, I'll be back on the 18th July for graduation. My next mission is finding something to wear for it.

How To Stay in the Library Longest..! (For Students)

I never thought I'd be writing on this. I mean, who wants to be in the library all the time? Surely we'd all rather be doing things with friends, relaxing at home in front of the TV or even better sleeping for 10+ hours. Sadly the time has come when we have to be in the library, whether we want to or not.
If you're a third year you most likely have essay deadlines this month, you could have a dissertation due and of course exams. On top of this you've realised this is your last chance to get the grades you want.
Even if you're not a final year student, you probably have a pretty stressful two weeks ahead of you. This is why being in the library has actually turned into something you want to do, because you need to get at least a 2.1 so that you can get a job and start paying back your student loan (the one you've been spending on nights-out for the last three years).
A common problem us students face in the library is procrastination - the act of delaying or postponing something. Whether its watching YouTube videos of babies laughing like this one:

or looking at cat pictures on BuzzFeed (one of my faves right, especially no.10 now http://www.buzzfeed.com/meganm15/cats-bad-day), we're all pretty good at not doing our work when we should be. I'm going to suggest a few things that will help you stay in the library the longest. 

1. Have a regular working routine. 

Personally I work best in the morning when nothing has happened yet to distract me. I get to the library for 8am everyday and I always sit in the same seat. This might seem a bit weird but I feel like it's much easier to pick up from the place I left off that way. Obviously different people work best at different times but picking a routine and sticking to it will really help your commitment to working hard. It's like acclimatisation, you body gets used to it, and after couple of days it's not so hard. 

2. Resist the urge to look on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or any other forms of social media. 

I know that this is easier said than done but if someone desperately needs to get hold of you they'll ring you. Try to confine your social media checking to your break times. In all reality what could happen that is so big that it couldn't wait 2 hours for you to see?

3. Plan your breaks before you work. 

I suggest taking a proper break every two hours. By this I mean time away from your seat for at least 15 minutes. You might find it easier to break at the end of a point in your argument  or after a certain number of pages of notes you've written. Whatever works for you. Basically you NEED to take breaks. Otherwise you'll get tired more quickly, be more likely to get distracted and ultimately you're more likely to give up and go home. If you plan your breaks ahead of time then you have a short term reward to look forward to. It's much easier to think, only 1 hour more than 5 or how ever much longer you intend to stay.

4. Make sure you have plenty to drink/eat.

A common reason for leaving the library is being hungry, thirst or having a headache. These can all be solved by preparing yourself before you come to the library. Buying food in the cafe everyday is expensive so make yourself a sandwich/salad/pasta before you go. Bring lots of nibbles as well like biscuits and raisins because you might want to eat at your desk.. even if you're not supposed to. Bring a large drinks container and make sure you are continually drinking throughout the day. The library (in Leicester) is often quite warm which can quickly make you dehydrated. Filling your water up can be another quick break and  help you refocus your thoughts too. 

5. Set daily targets.

This one is really important. You want to feel like you've achieved something at the end of the day so set a goal, whether it's writing 1000 words, making notes on 3 topics or something along those lines. It needs to be achievable but also related to the amount of time you want to spend in the library. If you complete it then you deserve to go home early. This will motivate you to work hard, concentrate and feel happier with the work you are doing.

6. Have a reward planned at home. 

Although the plan is to stay in the library as long as you can, there's no need to be there if you honestly think you've done enough and have completed your target. It's important to have something you want to do other than work. I've recently been watching movies to chill out and switch off after 8 -10 hours in the library. You could do literally anything: meet up with friends, go to the cinema, cook a nice meal, have a take away, go shopping even, as long as it's not work. If you don't take time away from your work then you can get stressed out and you will probably lose your stamina after 3 or 4 days. You need to separate work from play and without something to look forward to then what reason do you have to finish earlier? 

7. Make a work playlist.

Listening to music can really help improve productivity and block out other distractions. Even when you sit in the silent zone it's never really silent. I personally choose music without lyrics for working, mainly so I'm not tempted to sing along. Recently I've been favouring the Gladiator and The Dark Knight soundtracks because they're up beat and help me to type quicker but relaxing piano music also works well. Spotify is a really good for this as its a legal way to listen to almost any type of music you could possibly want to and it's FREE. Yes there are adverts every now and then but you can always turn the sound down low during them. 

Hopefully these tips will help you out work those around and on your course. I think about it this way: I only have 6 months more of formal education and a whole lifetime to recover from the stress. Surely it's worth putting the effort in now so that you can enjoy yourself later? 

Good luck to everyone who has exams and deadlines over the next few weeks!