92 Days (or, making the most of your time at University)

As I sat down to write this post I didn’t know what to write about; my classes are plodding along slowly and I’ve not had any assessments to talk about. Apart from moving accommodation, the start of my spring semester here at UTA has been relatively quiet. I’ve spent most of my time adjusting to working and getting to know my new roommate. As my mind was wandering, I calculated that it must be roughly one hundred days until I leave Texas and thought there might be something to write about in that. I then worked out exactly how many days I had until my flight to Canada, and was shocked to realise that I only have ninety-two days left. That’s just over three months until I return home from my grand adventure. Don’t get me wrong I’ll be glad to eat British food and see my family and friends but I’ll also be heartbroken to leave my life here in Texas behind.
Even more scarily, if I weren’t on my year abroad it would be roughly the same amount of time until my final lectures of my university career and, therefore, my graduation soon after. University is such a busy time full of friends, changes, work and socialising that it can pass in a blur. With that in mind, I decided to talk a little bit about what I’m planning to do to make the most out of my time here (tips that can be applied to your time at Leicester too!) because before you know it, you too will be thrown into the real world, no longer to spend weekdays binge watching Netflix and napping.

1) Spend time with your friends
University is the only time in your life you will get to socialise with people of the same age that live in such close proximity and have (at least some) spare time. When you graduate, your friends will likely spread across the country and the world so make sure to spend as much time learning, growing and having fun with them before you graduate. For me, I know being thousands of miles away from friends that I seem to only have just met is going to be hard so I’ll be spending as much time as possible with them before I leave.
2) Make use of the library and your professors
Ok, I’m a nerd I know but there’ll never be a time in your life when you have such free and ready access to such a wealth of knowledge. So, perhaps check out a book on a topic that interests you that’s not part of your course material or talk about career or goal related knowledge (or where to find it) with your professors. There are archives in Texas that I need for my dissertation that I won’t be able to use once I leave, so I have to make use of my time that way and make sure I get all the notes and information I need.
3) Get to know the city you’re temporarily calling home
You may well move away from Leicester when you graduate, so get to know it. Go to Bradgate Park, take in a Leicester game (I promise I won’t even mock you for being a glory supporter) and get your fill of some of the best curry in the UK! I’ve made it my mission to eat as much BBQ and Tex-Mex as possible before I have to return to my poor, taco-less life in England.
4) Use your career service
I guarantee that you won’t have free access to CV workshops, mock interviews, and practice assessment centres when you graduate. Firms offering the same services will charge an arm and a leg for the same services, so get that CV updated and polished by the careers service before you go. I’m going to get my CV or ‘resume’ polished before I leave should I ever decide to apply for work in the States.
Happy Spring term, finalists. Make the most of your time in Leicester before you leave, because I know as much as you pretend you don’t like it you’re going to miss your Wednesday nights at Lets Disco!