While I’m technically just entering my fourth year at St. Andrews, these past few years have felt like a lifetime. It definitely has not all been sunshine and rainbows. Even though St. Andrews is dominated by students from my home country of the United States, moving to a new country at eighteen is daunting. In addition to that, I’m from a small town in the center of the US, and have had to adjust to the 20+ hours required to travel home. Needless to say, time at St. Andrews did not start as glamorously as I anticipated. But because of my experiences (both highs and lows included), I have an abundance of knowledge- so hopefully, you don’t have to learn these lessons the hard way, too.
The first lesson that I’ve learned during my years at St. Andrews has been the value of experience over performance. Like many women, I’m very type A and have always been a perfectionist. But I’m here to break it to you: you will not leave St. Andrews with a record of all 20s, unless you do not allow yourself to see the light of day. And I encourage you to be okay with this. In an environment like St. Andrews, notably creating the term for itself, “Stoxbridge,” academic pressure can become very overwhelming. Yet, I’m sure many of my American comrades are familiar with the term “C’s get degrees”, and I encourage you to apply this to St. Andrews. I’m not saying not to try academically, but to put your best foot forward, and give the academics you have, but do not forget about creating time for yourself, your relationships, and your hobbies along the way. Losing yourself in academic pressure is a dangerous game. You’re only this young in such a quaint, unique, university-run town once – enjoy it and find a balance between academia and just living life. The experience you gain will award you more knowledge than any book or lecture ever could.
The second lesson fits well with the first – find your routine and prioritize it. Balance is key! In my first year, I was living in extremes, and I was drained. There is always space for that first year “grey area” where you don’t know what your new life at uni looks like- and nor should you. But after the first few weeks, I recommend you find a routine that works for you. When I was in my first year, it was either way too much partying or way too much time under the fluorescent lights of the library. There is too much of a good thing – too much studying leads to burnout, and too many nights out will lead you to feeling chronically exhausted. Finding a sweet spot to prioritize your hobbies, take care of yourself, and focus on academics while leaving space to enjoy the university festivities is essential. I know this makes it sound simple. I promise you it is not, but attempting to make time for the things you love while also giving yourself time is extremely important in such a high-stress and busy period of your life.
The next lesson I’ve learned, and it has been the hardest of the four, has been to embrace change and not to immediately judge it as negative. It can be challenging moving to a new place, whether it’s one or four thousand miles away from your hometown. In these moments, it can be very easy to break down and regard the change as negative. The adjustment to a new life, new friends and a new routine is not easy. But that does not make it bad. Looking back on my time at St. Andrews, the moments of change that I once viewed as inherently negative have taught me so much and helped me to grow immensely as a person. So I challenge you to take this next step to regard these new differences as positives – even neutral things if you can’t reach the positive headspace. You will one day look back and see how much they helped shape you into who you will become.
The final and most important lesson I’ve learned during my four years at university is to find your community. Her Campus has become my home here at St. Andrews, but I did not find it until my second year. Some of our members didn’t even find us until their fourth year, which is entirely ok! Finding your community at university is a process. It may take years, but I encourage you to continue trying to find a space on campus that’s right for you until you find the one. And for me, that was Her Campus. It wasn’t until the second semester of my first year that I realized I was missing my “girl group”. Since I joined at the end of my first year, my university experience has taken a complete 180° turn. I have been surrounded by the most supportive community of women who brighten my day, whether it’s a wave on Market Street or one of our weekly events. I am eternally grateful that I found my community and my home in HC. I encourage you to look for your own, whether it’s Her Campus or something else.
Whether you’re an incoming first-year reading this, looking for help, or you’re entering your final year at St Andrews, I promise you that university will never stop teaching you life lessons. I’m not done with learning them either. This is not only a reminder to myself but also to you to focus on what you want and need, the essence of all four of these lessons. University will be fun, challenging, and emotional, but all of this will shape you into a person you will be proud of. Fall, get back up again, and learn – it may feel like you are pedaling backwards at times, but I reassure you all of these lessons are moulding your fantastic future self.