What I Would Do Differently If I Went Back To Uni

Uni years were truly amazing. Even though I would never want to go back and do all those essays and assessments all over again, being a university student was such a cool experience. I feel so fortunate I got to experience it in London, a city I inevitable feel in love with, and as a dance student, doing something I actually love. I honestly do not think that anyone is ready at 18 to make the decision of what they want to do for the rest of their lives, exactly what degree to do and what university to go to. With all that said, looking back, I feel like I made the best decision I could have. I enjoyed my uni years so much but there sure are things I would have done differently to make them even better.

No.1 I would have stayed in student accommodation.
For my first year of uni I was living in student accommodation but as it was pretty far from uni, I moved into a flat for the second and third year. Living so close to uni was very convenient especially when I would have a rehearsal way after classes were over, or when I wanted to go to the library for a quick pick up of books or whatever. Looking back, however, I realise I was happier and more productive when I was living further away from uni. I had a long commute home but that allowed me to really separate my student life from my actual life. I had a terrible experience in the student house I was in (freaking bed bugs for God’s sake!) so even though I was enjoying it, for the most part, I was readyyyy to get out of there at the end of my lease.

No.2 I would have gotten an assisting job.
In my second and third year, I was working at a dance shop once or twice a week and I absolutely loved it. I met some great people and it was overall such a nice experience. I am not sure if I would want to give up this job but I know for sure I would have tried to get an assisting job as well. I would not want the pressure of having a teaching job, having to plan for classes etc., but I do regret not looking for an assisting job. Again, this would help me meet people, I would be able to add that work experience on my CV and more importantly, I would actually get more experience as a ballet teacher to be.

No.3 I would have lived all three years as I lived my first year.
I think this has a lot to do with my living situation, but in my first year, I used to go out all the time! I don’t mean ‘partying out’ I mean just going out and walking around London, exploring the city, getting lost again and again and having the best time ever, in a city that never ceased to surprise me. In my first year, I was getting a monthly pass for zones 1-3 which meant I could go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted without having to spend any more of my allowance on transport.

No.4 I would put more effort into my practical classes and work hard on staying motivated.
When I first went to uni I was sooo motivated. I was so passionate about ballet and even though I wasn’t that good, I was a very hard working student. To this day, I still don’t know how, but I somehow lost all motivation halfway through my studies. I don’t know if it was my tutors or the atmosphere of the place, I actually have no idea, but it just made me lose all motivation. Everything seemed so dull and I felt like I had no reason to actually push myself and work on my technique. A few months into my second year I also started having really bad back pain, which made me want to just give up completely because even when I wanted to actually try in class, my back would be in so much pain (thank God that is all sorted now and some daily stretches keep all that in check). If I had a chance to go back and do those three years again, I would not let anything get to me! I would stay focused on my goal and work on what I truly love.

No.5 I would have visited my best friend in Scotland.
I 100% regret not making the time to go visit my best friend. Luckily she did come and visit me during my first year but I really really wish I would have made the time to plan a trip up to Scotland and visit my best girl. No doubt it would have been a blast and a time to always look back on.

No.6 Lastly, I would have kept my notes from my first year.
Looking back, I find it so funny that I threw away my freaking notes from a whole year at university. I was moving places and I had soooo much stuff, I was really trying to get rid of anything I did not absolutely need and of course, I wasn’t going to get rid of any of my clothes. So clever me decided that my notebook and files from my first year were not worth keeping. I was wrong. I learned from it. I kept all my notes from my second and third year. (Gosh my mum would kill me if she found out, this is not how she raised me hahah! My mum kept her freaking school books, never mind keeping things from uni)

This post is all about the things I would change / do differently if I had a chance to live my uni years again, but with that said, there are even more things that I would have done exactly the same. I really enjoyed my time in London and I enjoyed my time in uni. I am still not sure if I would do it again, due to all the freaking assessments we had to do (and no it wasn’t just practical stuff) but I sure did have a great time and I will forever cherish my time there.