From being an eighteen-year-old Fresher newly out of high school to a twenty-three-year-old student who has had way too much experience with rocking up to Uni hungover for her 9am tutorial: it is fair to say the last five years of university have been a whirlwind of adventures. But what happens when you decide to take the next step? The step to adulthood, but with trying to keep the thrill of Uni life for as long as possible? The step to Ph.D. Well, this is what I decided to do. I finished my Masters’ dissertation at the end of August and then had to prepare for arriving back to University life less than two weeks later.
However, this time I knew it would be different. First off, I wasn’t moving into Hillhead and getting ready for drinking every night. Instead, I was moving back to the comforts of my parent’s home- it is great getting food cooked for you every night! But this wouldn’t be all fun. Especially when you’re getting ready to take on your sixth Freshers (yes, I’m aware that I’m that old… but really it just means I’m experienced in Aberdeen nightlife) and your parents come through and don’t understand how you could possibly go out on a Tuesday night. But really, it is just a case of getting used to the different lifestyle choices you and your parents have.
When it came to the academic side of things, it was very different from the taught university life. You are given your very own research desk and you are expected to meet with your supervisor monthly. This is fine, except… I’m not even sure where I am supposed to begin with readings for a really, really long dissertation. I’m sure some-how I’ll force myself to do readings and develop the willpower not to scroll on Facebook and Instagram hours at a time!
Socially it is very difficult, there are very little events to meet new people and everyone in your office are considerably older than you (especially if you’re like me and you just roll through the university years straight after one another). But that brought me to Her Campus as a society and so far they have made it a great place to make friends with other girls at university. My biggest advice to my Fresher self would be exactly what I had to learn continually throughout my now sixth year at university: join societies! There is a chance, you may not like your hall flatmates and course mates, so join a society in which you’re interested and meet people with a common interest to yourself! Six years and counting… no regrets!