Not every collegiette is perfect. Scratch that, no collegiette is perfect. The sorority ideal does not exist as it would in films. As you enter your first, second, final or consecutive year at Newcastle University, you may feel an enormous amount of pressure to succeed because of such ideals. To do it all – study, work, internships, and have a social life, while also staying stylish, fit and nutritiously fed at the same time can be impossible to maintain. You don’t imagine at the beginning of the year that within a month the routine you planned so perfectly could fall to pieces. The time that you allocated so meticulously to the various parts of your life could change and you won’t be prepared for that. That is okay. There is nothing wrong with stretching yourself sometimes, even when you know that other areas of your life may fall short because of that, even by just a bit.
Every collegiette wants to be a better student, earn more, eat better, work out more and dress better. There is nothing wrong with wanting that –in fact, it’s recommended! Improving yourself is so important, but the pressure of doing so is not always so necessary. Every year that you spend at university is an opportunity to better yourself, to try harder and to be better to yourself as well! University is the time for growth and learning about yourself.
So don’t stop trying to get better, and don’t stop giving yourself positive, ambitious goals to work towards, especially if they excite you. But don’t spend time stressing about taking on too much, or worrying that you are not good enough. A good collegiette is not a film fantasy. She is a reality, a flesh-and-bone person that needs time to figure out what works for her before she can conquer the world. Don’t let that fantasy get in the way of the reality, as it is the reality that will be walking away with the fruits of labour at the end of her time at university. So no, don’t stop trying to do better and be better. Be that reality and see to it that the time you spent at university is where you grow and learn the most.