Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to go to university. It wasn't that my parents were pressuring me because they'd got degrees and thought that you can't succeed without one, it was purely my choice. In fact neither of my parents went to university, and through school they would want me to just focus on one stage at a time. For me university was just the obvious choice, and only choice. When it came to actually really needing to think about going to university or finding work, there was nothing that I wanted to do more than leave home and study for a degree
.

Several of my teachers didn't think that I'd be able to cope with moving quite so far from my family, but I actually feel surprised at how well I've coped and I'm pleased because I feel like after finishing my first year I'm one step closer to proving them wrong.

Through being at university for this past academic year, I've learnt so much, and not just related to the course I'm studying. I've found I'm now much more independent than I have been, and I've matured more as a person. Having to live with people you don't know in the first year can be a daunting experience, especially for the first few nights, but you just have to throw yourself into it. And I've actually made lots of really good friends from it.

Going to university isn't for everyone; you may not want to or you may decide that the career path you wish to follow doesn't actually need a degree and so you just want to jump straight into it. There are loads of other options other than just going down the higher education route. I feel lucky that I'd already firmly decided that I was going to go to university, but it's one of those things that doesn't matter if you haven't yet.

It's probably been the best decision I've ever made and I'm sure that when it comes to my graduation I won't have any regrets at all, but no matter what other people tell you what you should be striving for, it's going to be pointless if you don't want to do it. Wanna go to uni? Work hard and go to uni. Wanna kick start your career? Jump in a find a job. You wanna travel, just travel the world. I just think that whatever people chose to do past compulsory education should be something you want to do with your life and something that's going to make you happy.

University has been the right choice for me because it's made me happy and I wanted to go. If you want to do something and it makes you happy then it's going to be the right choice for you.


Em x