As my university and Facebook friends know by now, last
Monday I graduated from university. Therefore I feel the need to take this
opportunity to provide a brief run-through about what I learnt during my time at university. Keep
in mind, I completed a Media and Communication degree so obviously this is very
discipline specific however I am going to make this as generalised as I can.
Firstly, high school teachers make university sound much scarier
than it actually is. The lecturers are 9 times out of 10 very lovely and
helpful people and if you’re not fond of your lecturer then the other students
will help out. You are all in the same boat after all and it’s not like they
hate the discipline either, they’ve chosen to be there, just like you.
In saying this, because the tutors don’t force you to study
it means you have to do it in your own time, which means finding the motivation.
There is a lot of responsibility and self-determination involved, in other
words, get off your butt and start adulting. Yeah, it took me a while too.
Next is a piece of advice I wish someone had drilled into me
in my first year. Join clubs and uni groups and anything that lets you network and
gain experience because your graduating self will thank you.
In line with this, uni friends are always great things to
hold onto. You never know when you’ll need last minute advice on an assignment
or what you’ll learn from them. I’ve seen some of the people I’ve met in my
degree doing some amazing things, and they’ve only just graduated as well.
Now, in reference to internships, please I beg of you! If
you’re in a degree where you have access to internships. Get that started! Like
yesterday! Well maybe you should leave it until about second year but my point
is that internships are amazing things and will help you out so much at the
beginning of your career. They say you need a job to get experience but need
experience to get a job, well this is your compromise.
I was stupid and left my internships until my last semester
which meant that I was not only on my last round of classes but also had to
balance two internships and a part time job as well. Not. Fun. So, I urge you
to get in early and work out what you like and where you want to go through
various internships. This will really help you establish a career path.
Lastly, be committed and love your craft, and not just because
uni is too expensive to not enjoy but because this is when you work out what you
really want to do. In high school I thought I wanted to go and edit videos for
a living and while I still enjoy that I ended up dropping my film major by the
end of first year. Now I’ve graduated with a Bachelor of Media and Communication
minoring in Public Relations and I love it.
Apply for jobs left, right and centre and don’t be too
disgruntled when some don’t reply, it takes time, patience and determination to
make them see you. Also be ambitious and passionate about what you do, go hard
at university. Learn all that you can while you’re there, the theory and the practical,
all of it.
Now I am not a gold star uni student and I don’t claim to
know the secrets to surviving university however I do know the advice I would
give myself I could meet freshman me.
I hope the graduates have job interviews falling at their feet,
the current uni students getting what they can out of their degree and those
who aren’t at university, well I hope you’re succeeding at whatever it is you’re
doing.
If you have any questions about university or anything I’ve
spoken about, feel free to message me via the 'Contact Us' box.
- 12:48 am
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