Letters from the dorm: Lessons learned in my first year at the University of Warwick
My first year has gone by as fast as a train in a Budapest metro station, and as easily as it is to sleep through multiple alarms.
What a year! I've learned a lot about myself, both good and bad, and here are some things I hope to both continue and change respectively in my next two years of university.
For starters, I need to stop putting off washing my dishes and cleaning my room. It's something every university student struggles with, but I've noticed that dishes are not as tough if I clean up as soon as I finish eating.
Putting things off, in general, is a huge vice. It threatens me in the morning when I try to get out of bed; it tempts me when I work; it tries to get me to stay out when I should be home working ... I think you get the point.
I now know that reviewing lectures and seminars, every day all through the year, is a must. So is doing all of the seminar work and reviewing the textbooks and online notes. I also need to go through lectures again if they've been recorded online and do as much required reading as possible. If I set aside time to do it every day, then it's much easier to revise for exams at the end of the year.
This is my action plan for second and third year, but I strongly suggest that you start this practice in your first year.
I've also learned a lot about friendship. My circle of friends has changed a lot since the first term. I learned how easy it is for people at university to be fickle about money and housing, I learned how to take care of sick friends, I learned how to work with them in a professional way, but most importantly I learned the value of a true friend.
If any of you are reading this, thank you for the late nights in my kitchen, for laughing at my stupidity, for the coffee dates, and most importantly, thank you for noticing that I'm too nice and not taking advantage of me. I love you and appreciate this far more than words can say. You know who you are. Once you find friends like these, hold on to them for life.
I genuinely can't wait for exams to end so I can go meet friends and family in London for a well-earned break, and then off to Paris and Barcelona for almost a month of travelling. I'll come home to Hong Kong to enjoy a month of relaxing, and then I'll do a six-week internship before heading back to uni for my (dreaded) second year.
Everything is happening so fast, but I wouldn't have it any other way!