University and beyond: 2014

Howdy!

So tomorrow I begin my final term at University studying English Literature. I cannot believe how quickly the last two and half years have flown by; it feels like yesterday that I drove to uni for the first time.  So to mark the beginning of the end, if you will, I thought I'd do a little post summing up my time at uni and my plans for the rest of the year.

When I left school, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go to university or not. It was something my school prioritised and once we made it to 6th Form, it was full steam ahead with UCAS applications and constant talk of uni, and for those of us who weren't sure if we wanted to go, it was a bit of an intimidating time.  In the end I decided against it (not permanently - I just knew I didn't want to go that year).  Instead, I took a year out after school ended and worked full time at a nursery and absolutely loved it. It's not something I'd want to do for the rest of my life but it gave me a great insight into the world of work and the staff and children I worked with were so lovely. The money I earned paid for a wonderful two week holiday to Florida with my best friend, too, which was amazing.  During my time at the nursery, I applied to a few universities to study English Literature. I was accepted to them all, which then left me with the decision of where to go. I'd looked round Greenwich and fell in love with it; it was such a beautiful university and the English department looked amazing. I looked round Northampton too, which is only about half an hour away from home, and loved that as well.  I know uni is supposed to be about moving away and being independent and all that, but I've always been a home bird at heart, and the thought of leaving my family terrified me, so I went with Northampton.  Despite being the easy option at the time, I couldn't be more happy with my decision to study there.

Northampton is a relatively small university compared to others in England, and I love that kind of environment. During my first year I was really just finding my feet and settling in (as was everyone, I guess), but in my second year I really got used to it and felt so comfortable there. I made some wonderful friends who I hope will be friends for a long time, and had some great experiences.  English Literature is the only thing I've ever wanted to study and my three years at Northampton have opened my eyes to new authors, new styles of writing and new ways of thinking and has made me a generally more open minded and inquisitive person. I still get stressed and frustrated with the workload but over these three years (third year especially) I've realised that I need that kind of pressure to thrive and learn. My default attitude is 'can't be arsed', and I'm constantly striving to change that and be a more proactive person, and my time at uni has really helped. What I thought was going to be three years of learning about books has turned out to be so much more than that. 

Life after May seems a bit of a scary void at the moment and I don't know what the future will hold. I'm excited for it, though.

"To study literature is to study the human experience." 

Northampton, it's been a treat. X

p.s. I'm going to try to update this blog quite regularly. With what, I don't know. My ramblings most likely.