The years we spend at university are undoubtedly crucial in our development, but how much influence can the cliché four-year degree (or more if you are studying medicine etc., weird flex, but okay) have on us as people? I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume for a large portion of people who came to university because it was expected of them or because you did not know what to do after finishing your secondary school education.

 

Being young and reasonably naïve, we go along with the flow; university gives us some semblance of a routine we were used to as kids at school, although this routine may now consist of late-night gaming, house parties or skipping lectures. Some don’t quite gravitate to what they’re studying, and some take to it with great affinity; some even drop out.

 

The main argument that I’m trying to make is that either way, university is a decisive moment in our lives; it plays a more significant role in helping shape us into who we are, more than we would like to give it credit. Finding new people, passions, and places; and experiencing new cultures, music, substances, and feelings.

 

As time passes, with more wisdom under our belt and the lovely dichotomy of hindsight, we can come to understand that our path through university could have gone in an infinite number of different ways. Better grades, fewer hangovers, more parties, heartbreaks, romances, outstanding achievements etc., all of which could have been valid outcomes; I’m not at all making a statement about their quality, nor good or bad; it’s merely relative.

 

So, enjoy your time at university, or don’t, it’s up to you. As cliché as the saying is; “life is what you make of it”. Ultimately, these times will hold more importance than you think.