The new experiences take some getting used to
Being at university is a bit like going to school and having a vacation at the same time. There’s the freedom of going to class only if you want to, doing homework if and when you want to, even waking up after 12 in the afternoon if you want to! Here’s a look at a typical day in the life of a uni student.
GOING TO CLASS
Train trips are a bit of a downer when you have to sit next to people you don’t know and it gets even worse in flu season. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to casually cover my nose with my scarf when the person next to me starts going into a coughing fit. Although, travelling on a crowded train is sometimes fun because you can observe the crazy things people do. Once, I noticed a lady try to flip the seat on the train, but it seemed to be jammed so she kept trying to pull and pull. It took her about a minute to realise that the train had seats that couldn’t flip.
ARRIVING FOR CLASS (LATE)
It happens to the best of us. Especially in winter, getting up out of a warm bed seems almost impossi
ble, and sometimes, we end up being late. When you’re at school you can get a note from the office and walk into your normal classroom and talk to your friends, who may or may not laugh at you. Either way, no one is really bothered. At uni, when I walk in late to a lecture, there is a room full of 300+ strangers who watch me stumble across to the front seats (the only place where there’s places available) and say ‘sorry, excuse me, sorry’ as I dodge bags on the floor. Sometimes, to avoid this problem, I try to sit in the back of the lecture hall, but then you might end up behind people who are… let’s say more interested in each other’s faces than the content of the lecture.
SEEING FRIENDS
At school it’s easy to meet up with friends at recess and lunch, but sometimes at uni it’s difficult to make and maintain friendships. Personally, I like to keep in touch with my friends from high school. Once, a friend and I agreed to meet up in the park for lunch and we found a nice bench by the pond. Little did we know that we were surrounded by couples who had also decided to meet up for lunch. I was desperately hoping that people wouldn’t think that the two of us were a couple. Luckily for us, no one seemed to be looking in our direction.
THE TRAIN TRIP BACK HOME
When I was in high school, I used to talk to my friends about the important things in life, things like how I wash and dry my hair. At that time, it seemed genuinely interesting and friends and I would spend entire train trips discussing things like this. Now, as a uni student, when I catch the train and hear kids discussing these topics, I can’t help but think ‘what is going on here’? It’s even worse when they speak as loud as they can and somehow manage to synchronise all of their giggles together. I just can’t help but pray that I was never that annoying while I was in school. Problem is, I think I was.
LONGER WEEKENDS
After coming home from uni on a Thursday afternoon, I sit on the sofa and watch a movie. After all, tomorrow I’m home so I can catch up on work then. My parents start to whinge a little bit about having to go to work again tomorrow so I make sure to rub it in a little bit… until they get annoyed with me and make me do the dishes. It doesn’t matter, it’s worth it!
