University Truths from a First Year 

University is not easy; I am one term in to my uni experience and as much as I love my course and friends, the life of a uni student is not always easy.

University is based on independent studying and that is not something that I and many others aren’t good at. When in uni you sit in a lecture where a person stands and speaks information at you while you make notes. Sometimes there boring, sometimes they talk too fast and sometimes it just makes no sense.

It’s then YOUR job to turn that into an essay usually between 1500 - 3000 words. They expect references from websites and books so you gotta do your library trips and all that reading, and if your not enjoying the topic that much then it isn’t fun! You spend hours procrastinating until the deadline looms and you suddenly realise you have another 2000 words to write that’s due in two days. It’s stressful, it’s tiring, it’s hard work and it doesn’t always feel like it’s paying off.


But then you see the positive sides, the friendships you make, the fun you have, the nights out you have, the extra couple of days you get off and the time you get to spend with people who are just as passionate about the subject you’ve taken as you. Because it’s based on independence you really don’t spend that much time in lectures.


Doing a drama degree means I get to create brilliant work with other people. I get to read scripts by brilliant minds and use them as inspiration for my own pieces. I get to experiment with sound, lighting, costume, text and I get to do it with some great people. Some say a drama degree should be easier, ‘it’s standing on a stage, reading lines.’ It really isn’t there’s a lot that goes behind the scenes of making theatre be the way it is today. Some clever people had to come up with basic things such as talking to the audience for it to become such a key feature of theatre, films and television.


I personally can’t talk about the struggles and highlights of living in halls because I don’t. I’m very lucky to still be able to live at home and my uni is only about a 10 minute car ride or for me 25 minutes which includes the walk to the bus stop, the wait for the bus and the actual bus journey!


Basically, what I’m trying to say is: if you can handle: hard work, deadlines and stress. Then don’t let them stop you. The fear of moving out, lack of money, getting into debt and student loan stops people from taking that massive leap but it shouldn’t. It’s a struggle and it is hard work, but I enjoy University and going was definitely the right decision. I have wonderful friends who support me and have as much enthusiasm for drama as me. Whether I’ll say the same thing in my third year when I’m stressing over final pieces and deadlines I don’t know. But right now, I love it and would encourage anyone with a big enough love for education to go. Apparently, they’re meant to be the best years of your life? Check back with me in 2021 at the end of my degree!

- Courtney -