Starting Uni

So, this month I started my course at the University of the West of Scotland. I'm studying Society, Politics and Policy. The course was not my first choice, hell it wasn't even my second or third choice. It was my last resort option. I did however get direct entry into third year therefore it's only a year or 2 before I graduate. Part of me has this feeling of impostor syndrome going on. But then I'm not giving myself enough credit for completing 2 hard years at college. College might seem like it's an easy route but it's not. It's just as stressful.

It's probably too early to tell how I'm enjoying the course. I am really enjoying 2 out of 3 of my modules though so that's a positive start. As much as I wanted to do Sociology and Criminology I'm sure the path I go on is the right one.

Travelling to uni is not something I enjoy though. I decided to stay at home as I feel too old to be staying in student accommodation and it works out cheaper for me. Another reason is I really prefer working and studying at home so will hopefully be better for me. An hour (it's more in the morning on the way in due to traffic) is how long it takes though and it really takes up a lot of my energy. I do enjoy travelling but usually in a car and at quieter times.

It's only been two weeks and I've already had to miss a lecture due to a really bad headache that felt like it was going to turn into a migraine. More days like that to come I'm sure. Why do educational institutions have those really shitty bright lights that trigger my migraines?

Apart from that I really do hope that I stick in at it because the course has been interesting so far. My favourite has been my Gender, Body and Society class. We were looking at how gender is assigned to children and why it's so problematic that society categorise children into these genders depending on what kind of anatomy they were born with. It feels like this module has topics that I can really get my teeth into. Also knowing that I've dropped out of uni before I don't want to go through that again. I know the signs now of when I'm struggling and if it ever gets to that stage I hope that I have learned from my past and will ask for help instead of letting it consume me.

Starting university is an extremely exciting and scary time. You promise to yourself that you're going to be super organised this time and start your assignments as soon as possible but how often does that actually happen? I don't quite leave things to the last minute as I usually give myself some breathing space with a couple of days to the deadline but still. I know I could be more organised and prevent myself from being too stressed but it never happens.

Are you starting uni this year? Any tips for a new uni student?

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