So, here I am, about a month to my graduation. University life has been an awesome 4 years ride, with many learnings and exploration throughout this period. As a final year student, it’s definitely not the best outcome as graduation is cancelled due to the pandemic, as well as a much-awaited summer ball and gathering with my university mates. In this blog post, I’m writing on my reflection of these past years, from joining the university as a nervous fresher, knowing people, transitioning in the UK and now nearing the end of this journey.
Grateful for everything that has happened
University life has had many bittersweet moments, from feeling disheartened with unsatisfied exam results and stressing out with university work, to meeting new friends and having fun times. Regardless, I’m very grateful for the experiences as I learned to be more matured towards dealing with problems and acquired new skills along the way.
Coming into university, I was quite sceptical about whether I will be comfortable with new people and tougher courses. And yes, in many ways, I’ve learned to step out of my comfort zone and adapt to my environment the hard way and these are the skills that I believe is important as I step into the working world.
Reflect on how far I’ve come
I’ve spent these last months reflecting on myself and tried to understand myself better. Honestly, I’ve felt that I’ve progressed a lot and many things have changed. I have a new perspective on my career aspirations including my goals. This change does not happen overnight, as it took me time to research various aspects of my career goals and speak to senior people and change my daily schedule and habits to be more productive. Regardless of how much I’ve achieved, I am happy that I passed through obstacles and earned many valuable experiences, and it’s worth a pat on the back for myself.
Thankful to my support bubble
I would not have had a fulfilling university life without my friends and family, who’ve supported me along the way. As an international student, personally, I felt that it is important to meet people locally not just for the fun but also to share thoughts and help each other in dealing with university struggles. Thinking back, I’m thankful to have met supportive friends and coursemates who have been a part of my support bubble as enduring university alone would have been daunting and filled with anxiety due to loneliness.
At the end of the day, I am gutted that I a not able to finish my degree as I’ve envisioned, but this is just a small mark compared to the things that I’ve been through in the 4 years of study and I’ve managed to ‘survive’ university! Nothing can take away the memories and I look forward to better days to come (at work).
Thank you Southampton and signing out!