The Bubble Bible: Wisdom From My (Academic) Mom

As the academic year begins in St Andrews, so do academic families —my favourite of St Andrews traditions! It’s not only a great way to be involved and meet more people, but also do ridiculous things that you will remember forever. I cannot recommend joining a family enough. I was lucky enough to have an incredible academic family that stayed close throughout the years. My academic mom imparted much wisdom that is worth sharing to help make the most of your uni experience. I hope you find this advice useful —as my academic mom always loves to remind people, she’s always right.

1. Do both

This is a good lesson in balance, because you are in uni. So yes, you should care immensely about your education, you should go to all your lectures and be present in your academics. But you should also go out and have fun. My academic mom would be out until 3am and still make it to her 9am. Be committed to both. 

2. Be friendly

Maybe it was the social sec in her but she was the social butterfly above all social butterflies. She taught me the importance of being friendly to everyone; she was never afraid to talk to anyone and always knew how to make someone feel welcome at any event. I think we should all try to be emboldened like this because you never know the friendships — or just friendly moments — you can gain. 

3. Rana tortellini 

I know this one doesn’t fit in with the above, but it’s important nonetheless. One night after volleyball practice my academic mom pointed out Rana tortellini in the refrigerated section in Tesco. I took a chance and decided to try it… now, a hundred bags later, I can’t stop buying it. It’s a delicious and quick meal that couldn’t get any simpler: only two minutes to cook, best served with butter and chili flakes. Enough said. 

4. Stay busy 

I think she was really good at soaking up every moment. And when I say staying busy, I don’t necessarily mean having every minute of your day planned out, that would be too much. But she always had something going on — classes, sport, going-out, or just being around friends. It’s easy to fall into routine and do your own thing, but I would challenge you to soak up every moment of these four years— they go quickly. 

5. Union wristband 

You may be realising this after Freshers week: ALWAYS pick up your Union wristband before going out. All year long, not just the first few weeks. You never know what the queue will look like. Trust me, you don’t want to wait in the cold. So just go pick it up earlier (from 17:00 onwards) and save yourself a lot of time. 

6. Make fun

No, I don’t mean make fun of people. But one of the things she would always say— especially to people skeptical of St Andrews— is make your own fun. Because St Andrews is a small town, its social atmosphere is put under scrutiny but, as she would always say, it really just depends on the people you are with. Even though there are limited places that have a tendency to close early, you can always make your own fun if you’re willing to try. 

7. Procrastination works

This may not be the best advice but it’ll probably make you feel better about yourself. Procrastination works. My academic mom would leave almost every assignment until the night before. She would stay up all hours to finish it, never turning anything late and getting good grades. This definitely doesn’t work for everyone but can be a good reminder that if you put your mind to it, you can do it. 

8. Tesco coupons 

Get a Tesco clubcard because it will save you quite a bit of money. Using a clubcard gets you points, which will give you coupons (her’s came in the mail). Be sure to save them and use them—once, we did a big Tesco shop and she used a lot of the coupons she saved up and ended up saving around £40. Definitely worth it. 

Now go out and try the advice (or at least just the tortellini). And if you are considering joining an academic family, I couldn’t recommend it enough!

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