This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter.
It scares me massively that I turn 22 in the summer and within this decade I’ll be in my thirties. Whilst the thirties is something I’d rather not think about ( I still view people over the age of 30 as slightly ancient and it’s something I’m trying to curb), the list of things that have changed as I’m barely into my twenties are:
- Skincare– This sounds like a weird one but as a teenager I was blessed with acne, which mercifully cleared up. Then, when I was 19, I ended up getting chickenpox for the first time (the spots appeared literally overnight so naturally I was terrified and googling my symptoms away). Luckily I didn’t get any scars from that experience but it was around that time when I realised that I needed to get into a skincare routine. Almost 3 years later, I still hate wearing makeup but I’ll always have rose water and exfoliating wipes in my bag as well as a stash of facemasks at home for me to do every week. Teenage version of me would have laughed.
- Friendship circles– At the start of university, I had a considerable amount of friends who I saw as life-long friends. Now coming towards the end of university, the circle’s filtered down to a handful of friends I can depend on whenever.
- Cats– Cats were something I used to hate with a passion as a teenager until I lived with one. She went from being an annoying fluff-ball to cuddly fluff-ball who used to sleep in my arms in the space of a few months and I still miss her. Now I want a house full of dogs with a cat (or two) squeezed in.
- Paying for stuff- Indians are notorious for being cheapskates, whether it involves sneaking in full meals into the cinema (a highlight of second year for me is sneaking spicy chickpeas and rice into the hall) or being the biggest fangirls of staycations (as we have money to not spend obviously). It’s something that I’ve managed to keep because as I’ve gone into my twenties I’ve realised how much I hate paying for stuff that’s full price. Unless it’s books.
- Stay-cationing- I’ve only realised how nice the UK is if you go to the right places and it’s something I wished I’d known sooner. Some of the best memories I have of the holidays involve petting wild ponies at Dartmoor National Park and screeching ABBA with my Northerner friend at an 80s themed nightclub in the city she lives in.
- Confidence– My self esteem wasn’t the best as I came into uni. As uni’s coming to a close, I think doing things like travelling alone, wearing clothes that show off my favourite features about myself and getting placements at my dream place of work (thanks again The Guardian newspaper) has made me a lot more confident about what I can do without needing help.