Things you’ll learn about uni after graduation

You will wish you did so much more

It’s only after you graduate that you start to realise just how many opportunities there were at university, especially when it came to getting involved in new hobbies, meeting new people, and all sorts of freebies and discounts.

While I was involved in the Pole Dance society and contributed to Platform Magazine, I still don’t feel like I did enough to branch out and try something completely out of my comfort zone.

If I were to go back I would try my hand at volunteering, particularly with opportunities that were outdoorsy and hands-on like conservation. While I could find similar volunteering opportunities now, working full time gets in the way a little! So do take advantage of the free time you have as a student.

I also think my experience as a first generation student at university would have been invaluable in a role like Student Ambassadors, where I could speak to pupils in schools about what student life is actually like!

Experience is invaluable

While the learning on your course has importance, it really isn’t everything and won’t necessarily set you up for the work environment. Gaining experience where you can get a feel for what working in an office is like, learning how to navigate meetings, and just generally learning about how things work, is really helpful in setting you up for a job after graduation. I know it would have helped me settle in much quicker if I had found similar experience! Talk to your employability team in securing work experience before you graduate.

You still won’t have it all figured out!

You might figure out what you want to do during university, you might then decide to change your path a little. While I’m passionate about my role in Digital Marketing, I’ve decided that I want to break out of Nottingham and do something that takes me out of my comfort zone. So, I recently decided to do a TEFL qualification to set me up to be able to teach English around the world: My first stop is Thailand. Believe me, I NEVER expected to change career path, and I’ve never shown any interest in teaching up until recently. But I’m very excited (and slightly terrified) of the skills I will develop as a result.

You will wish you would have asked for more support

University can be tough; moving to a new city, meeting new people, figuring yourself out, writing assignments, deadlines! It can be really stressful – you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself. There’s plenty of support. Even if you feel you might not need it, it’s worth exploring to see if there are other possible solutions that might make student life just a little easier for you.

I struggled quite a bit with referencing, and it got me into issues with my coursework. This really lowered my confidence, and even though I eventually figured it out for myself, it was still something I was scared of getting wrong in my second and final year. If I had just tackled the issue from the beginning, it would have taken some stress of my shoulders!

By Leanne Perry