“Wanna go to spoons?” is probably the most common question you will hear during your first weeks at
uni. Everyone is trying to find the perfect group of friends so that you can experience with them the new
perks of being a uni student, such as Freshers’ Week, Freshers’ Fair and discounts pretty much
everywhere in Leeds. However, balancing you social and academic life can become difficult. You don’t
want to be the anti-social, ‘nerdy’ person who will focus too much on the work, but at the same time you
can’t be too social and end up not focusing enough on your studies, skipping lectures and having an
hangover every afternoon when you wake up. I came up with some tips for all newbies, like myself, so we
can enjoy both worlds of student life.
Firstly, make sure to have a weekly plan for your assignments and tasks. I bought it as soon as I moved to
uni and it’s really helpful. As a fresher, I was quite overwhelmed by the different homework and readings
assigned for lectures, seminars and workshops of every module, but something as simple as a plan can
really help you set out your goals and priorities. A planner helps you keep up with your weekly
assignments without falling behind on any work and reminds you of tasks you might otherwise easily
forget. I find it very useful especially when I have to organise plans to go out with my friends, so I can
check which homework I have due in the next few days and based on this, I know if I’m free or not.
Secondly, try to do the tasks as soon as they’re given to you. I know you’ve probably heard it a million
times from teachers and parents, but it’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given. If you
complete your work as the week progresses, you’ll have much more free time during the weekend to
actually spend the whole day with your friends and dance through the night until your feet hurt! I
guarantee you that you’ll enjoy more going out when you’ve actually done the tasks and readings, rather
than think how you’ll have to set up your alarm early and do everything last minute. We all prefer getting
a few more hours of sleep, so don’t waste your precious recovery night-time and get yourself ‘in the
zone’ to do some work!
Thirdly, remember that you’re young only once! It’s important to keep up with the academic work, but
don’t forget to seize opportunities and go out with your friends trying new places and experiences.
Sometimes it’s inevitable to procrastinate because you just get distracted and don’t feel motivated
enough on that day, and you shouldn’t feel guilty if you’d rather spend time with your flatmates, either
watching a film or going to the club to get your mind off of it. Just make sure not to make of this a habit,
so that you can still keep up with your modules and have some quality time to relax. Since there are so
many events every week happening in Leeds, I suggest prioritising particular ones over others, so you get
enough time to balance both work and social life.
Finally, I hope my tips will help you organise your busy student life and get the most out of it,
remembering how it is equally important to socialise as well as challenging yourself academically.
University is all about trying new things so make sure to get involved not only with social events but also
consider the opportunities, such as Careers’ Fair, provided on campus to help you expand your scholarly
horizon. Get involved in some societies and clubs to know more people and possibly deepen a passion of
yours, so you get to do something useful for your CV as well as socialising. Hopefully you’ll find your own
way to enjoy university academically and socially!
Words by Yasmine Moro Virion