As a student navigating university life in a pandemic-oriented world, I often find myself exhausted trying to make sure I’m going about everything in the right manner. YouTube sensation, Emma Chamberlain, perfectly embodies these feelings in her podcast, Anything Goes. In honour of my newfound obsession with this podcast, I decided to compile a list of four things that Anything Goes has taught us about university life.
- Being alone is not the same as being lonely (Episode 85: “alone but not lonely”)
“I feel free to be who I am in front of other people because if they reject me, I don’t care—because I’m comfortable being by myself.”
Starting university as a first year student, I was under the impression that I would constantly be surrounded by other people. In reality, I spent the majority of my time alone. This is a reality that isn’t often talked about—that in order to mature in university, it’s necessary to be alone from time to time. Emma makes it clear, however, that there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. She found that it was essential to separate herself from others in order to become confident and mature, both of which can be extremely difficult in university when you’re constantly surrounded by the opinions of others.
- Seek quality over quantity in friendships (Episode 18: “emotions”)
“It takes a really long time to find people in this world that actually match your energy and put the same effort in as you do.”
You will meet an overwhelming number of new people in your freshman year of university, most of whom you’ll share a few words with and never speak to again. Finding the people with whom you click can take time. For a lot of us, we were first introduced to others through a screen in our bedroom, making it difficult to build meaningful connections. Now, as we move to in-person learning, it can be easy to lose focus of what’s really important to us. Emma explained that certain friendships of hers didn’t last because of a lack of reciprocal effort. However, once you find the right people, you’ll truly be able to admire the importance of quality over quantity in friendships.
- This is the best time to be selfish (Episode 49: “i can’t talk to people anymore”)
“If there’s something that you want to do that harms nobody and benefits you, you do it. Be a little bit selfish. What’s going to make you the most happy?”
While it may sound a bit backwards, being selfish in university is necessary when finding yourself both academically and personally. After your university years, there will be times when you will need to sacrifice your own needs for other priorities. However, throughout your university years, the only person you need to prioritize is yourself. Soaking up every moment for ourselves doesn’t make us bad people. Rather, we are putting ourselves first for what could possibly be the last time in several years. When it comes to being selfish, as Emma says, if it harms no one and if it makes you happy then there’s no reason not to pursue it.
- Growing up means making mistakes (Episode 41: “advice session #5”)
“You wouldn’t be at the mature, amazing place that you’re at now without every mistake that you’ve ever made, because those mistakes helped you grow.”
From living alone for the first time to making your own decisions, learning through mistakes in university is inevitable. Emma sees these mistakes as learning curves, explaining that without them there would be no room for us to grow. While this is applicable to all stages of life, Emma’s point highlights the unique situation of a university student. For the first time in your life you have near-complete autonomy, and therefore near-infinite opportunities for mistakes. The possibility of messing up shouldn’t be feared – it should be embraced as a chance for incredible growth and change.