WIWIK: NO SPOON-FEEDING

Some things about university life you just can't know until you've got there. 

Or can you? We asked some of our speakers and writers to tell us what they wish they'd known before stomping the ground to graduation.

Here's the third WIWIK (or 'what I wish I'd known'... slick, right?).

Don't expect to be spoon-fed by Lindsey Bezzina (Pharmacology and Neuroscience, @ Dundee) 

Stop suckling 

Gently release the teat of adolescence and start to sup from the cup of higher education. You won't be spoon-fed course material or frogmarched to lectures.

This is where things called textbooks and alarm clocks come into their own. Any university worth its salt, lemon and tequila will have in place a system (electronic or otherwise) that will enable you to purchase second-hand textbooks at bargain basement prices, and if not, Amazon is a world of resources.

Alarm clock? No idea. Probably still Amazon. 

You won't be forced, so try to make sure you set aside a certain amount of time a week to focus on your independent studying. Yeah, it sounds lame, but it's amazing how quickly you'll fall behind if you rely solely on dragging your sad sorry self to lectures and regurgitating the content.

Mature students

Don't hate the mature student, hate the game. Or something like that.

Depending on your uni you'll probably come across one or two of these guys during your course, especially if you sit at the front of the lecture hall. They're eager, they're not hungover and they can be quite Yoda-esque in age and general knowledge.

Like you, studying is probably not their primary focus. Unlike you, their raison d'etre is certainly not drinking. Not only do they deserve respect, they are good people to have on your pub quiz team. 

Pot Noodles save lives!

If you can block out their history of terrible ad campaigns and spinning forks, you'll hopefully start to realise that Pot Noodles (and its cousins pesto, pasta, pizza, potatoes, packets of biscuits – in fact most things starting with p) are your friends.

Lectures in nutrition aside, lining your stomach in protein is good for that organ you happen to be investing in – remember to feed your grey matter and let the liver look after itself.

Welcome to uni. Now get out! 

Meeting new people is tough. Even if you’re the type of person that would rather die than willingly engage in en masse social interface, just try and be approachable – smile like The Joker on acid for at least a week. 

Your cheeks will hurt. But the pain is worth it for the friendship group you'll build – someone's bound to be there to bail you out if you get in any kind of unmentionable trouble.



Interesting? If you'd like to see your words of wisdom on this page, drop us a line with what every student should know before going to university.

If you'd like to be a writer, get in touch with a copy of your CV and a white hot cover letter to lucy@push.co.uk.