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.

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If you have any questions about university or anything I’ve spoken about, feel free to message me via the 'Contact Us' box.