THREE Lessons I’ve Learnt During University – a Mid-Degree Review

Posted on: February 20, 2021

Last Updated on: May 31st, 2022

Post Category: Student Experience

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A few weeks before Uni started this year, I decided to reflect on my experience.

Two years ago, I started Uni not knowing too many people who studied the same degree. Nevertheless, having come from an underrepresented area, I didn’t have a close network of current students to touch into for insights and advice. So ultimately, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. 

So what was my experience like? And what I did get out of it? Below are three lessons I have learnt through my time at University. 

1. It pays to be curious

During, and even after, High School, I fell into the trap of thinking my degree choice would lock me into a specific career path related to that degree. 

However, after connecting with many other students, I realised people were still unsure about what they wanted to pursue. And after connecting with some seasoned professionals, I realised some of them made degree choices that had little relevance to what they are currently doing – well, at least for the career paths I have looked into. 

By noticing this, I realised that people make career changes more often than I thought, and there was no pressure to know what I wanted to do in my early years at Uni.

However, while this may be the case, I did find it helpful to have some idea of what career to advance, as it gave me some direction for my Uni experience. 

There is no doubt that figuring out what you ACTUALLY want to do will take time, but I believe it’s worth finding a career which aligns with your passion and excites you to learn the content and develop the skills. And that’s why I believe it pays to be curious; it pays to explore new interests and look into different career paths, because you will learn more about what inspires you, and that will give you a better idea of what type of career to advance.

2. Stay in your own lane

No, not in the sense that you should mind your own business, or only talk about the things you have knowledge in. But to silence the inner-critic who keeps comparing you to others. 

When I started Uni, I chose to be proactive about my own personal and professional development, and this motivated me to get involved as much as I could. However, with so many effective people at Uni doing the same thing, I found it very easy to feel that I was inadequate or falling behind the pack. I have frequently compared myself to many other students, and that sometimes made me feel that my accomplishments were smaller and less marketable. 

At the time, it was very easy to put that kind of label on myself, but if I were to go back, I would have told myself to be patient and just focus on the things I was genuinely interested in advancing.

3. Be real with yourself and be proactive

When I started Uni, I was the type of person who preferred figuring things out by myself. However, after my experience at Uni, I would say that leveraging the people/resources you have access to is instrumental to accomplishing more at Uni and beyond.

Transitioning to Uni meant that I had to be responsible for more things: my learning, my professional development, how I spend my time, and the internship roles I apply for – just to name a few. And when I was responsible for multiple things with little experience, I found it useful to be real with myself and take a proactive approach. Being real with myself, by admitting whenever I have questions/problems, and being proactive, by figuring out and acting on ways to solve them and knowing who/what to access to support you. 

If you want to know more about a concept, ask someone who can explain it. If you want insights into a role/industry, ask for a chat with someone who can give them. If you see a problem with your workflow management, read up on how to stay organised. And the list goes on. 

While I did not leverage this mindset all the time, I found it a very useful way to know where I am currently at and figure out the next steps to accomplish my goals – goals across different areas of my Uni experience. 

For those currently studying at UNSW, what was your experience like and what did you learn? I would love to hear about them!