Are the university years truly the best of your life?

Everyone is tired of hearing the age-old sentiment “they were the best years of my life” or, “I’d do anything to go back” when discussing university, so it begs the question – are they truly the best years of your life?

I think it would be a rather sorry state of affairs if the best time of your life occurs so early on when you’re 18-21 years old

Whilst I certainly hope people enjoy their university years and make memories worth cherishing, I think it would be a rather sorry state of affairs if the best time of your life occurs so early on when you’re 18-21 years old.  Surely there is more to life than being stuck in your adolescent memories. There are so many more exciting stages of your life to look forward to. After all, nothing is worse than someone who is stuck in the past and really needs to move on.

First and foremost, I would like to say that I have really enjoyed my university experience and it was a good choice to go with many fun memories to look back on. The freedom that comes with moving out, learning to cook and clean for yourself, making your own choices and really answering to only yourself is a new and valuable experience that sets you up for adult life well. Many people make lifelong friends, meet partners, go out, join societies, and have what many people clearly categorise as “the best years of their life’’. It is undeniable that university can and will be fun, but that is not to say that it doesn’t also come with its own unique set of challenges.

Moving out of home and, for many, moving across the country, or even abroad, can be incredibly difficult. Being in a new environment without a friendly face can be very tough, with many experiencing homesickness or uncertainty about whether they have made the right choice in leaving everything that feels safe and familiar. Now, of course there is certainly the argument that you should put yourself out there or throw yourself in at the deep end and find out that you can do it and you are a lot more resilient than you thought. This is true in many cases, but many people also find this very difficult. People can have difficulty adapting, making friends and looking out for themselves and many often struggle with their mental health upon moving to university and being responsible for themselves entirely.

If you attend university with all of these high expectations that it must be the best time of your life, you’re more often than not going to be disappointed

There is so much pressure that you must go to university and meet your bridesmaids and lifelong friends and even the love of your life. For many, this is just an unrealistic standard. University certainly can be some great years of your life, and you can meet your partner or great friends, but maybe we need to stop glamourising the experience and take the pressure off. Let’s be honest, university can be great. It can mean going to balls, society events, clubs, and finding a passion for your course and a new city, but it also means early mornings, deadlines, coursework, exams, hard work and sometimes, yes, loneliness. And that is ok, because part of growing up is realising that a situation is what you make it. If you attend university with all of these high expectations that it must be the best time of your life, you’re more often than not going to be disappointed. You cannot put that much pressure on three years of your life. Definitely enjoy them and look forward to each year but be kind to yourself. If your university experience doesn’t look like what you thought it would maybe you just need to adapt your expectations, because life sometimes is not like living in the set of Friends.

Finally, I hope that people do have enjoyable, worthwhile experiences at university, but it is valuable to remember life is long and there is so much to look forward to. For many, university can be a precarious time (friendship wise, financially, with regards to employment) and as you get older, you will unlock new stages of life: financial security, a career, buying a house, having things figured out and finally being sure of who you are. So, university should certainly be a memorable period in your life but whether it is the ‘best’ time of your life is really an individual experience.