New year is always about looking forward and leaving the past behind. But over the past few days I have found myself looking back at my Instagram posts. They act as a life time line for me. When I look at pictures they remind me of a certain time in my life and how I felt at that time. I have noticed how much I have grown in the past three years. I am always telling my younger cousins that once they start university, that is when they will truly learn a lot about themselves.
Nobody just has it all figured out, people grow and learn. I am still growing and learning at this very moment.
Most people are afraid of starting University because they don’t feel like they are” ready”. I remember a couple of months ago at a job interview, a girl told me that she had delayed going to University because friends and family told her that she wasn’t ready’ yet and was too ‘immature’ to go. She literally wasted years of her life doing nothing fulfilling, going from job to job all because of what someone else said. I remember thinking-what?!. You need encouragement. I am so glad that I was surrounded by supportive people. I sure as hell didn’t feel ready to move out by myself AND meet new friends.
In-fact at one point me and my friends made a deal to all apply to the same universities. Have in mind, all our courses required different UCAS points, some Universities were easier to get into for certain courses than others, Other Universities had better facilities for particular courses. But us being us-didn’t even bother to think about all the logistics. We were young kids just wanting to stay together and never separate.
I mean we had worked so hard over our childhood for this friendship. We didn’t spend every lunch time in high-school together and play out just so that we could be separated. That just seems unfair. No. that was not going to happen. We were so stubborn.
We researched universities that would have all three of our exact desired courses. We never expected it to be that hard.
I remember nearly giving up on my dream course here at Staffs just because it didn’t have my friends courses. Thank God I didn’t! I sucked it up and told my friends that I wanted out of the deal. I was soon to learn that if friendships are true friendships they WILL survive distance.
It was good for me to get out of my little bubble and mix with different people as well as learn things about myself I didn’t even know existed. I made some incredible friendships that will last a lifetime. (I will blog about how I met my closest friends another time).
What I’m trying to say is that -It’s not until you have gone through it you realize just how much you have changed. If you are about to start university be prepared to come out a different person to the one you were before. Keep pictures/diaries so that you can reflect back. It’s good to look back and reflect. It’s how we grow and learn. (Wisdom speaking here…)
Here is a personal picture time line, highlighting my growth over the past 3 years. I’ve included a brief explanation of where I was at that particular time in my life.
One of my highlights throughout university, was working with other media buffs. Here I am helping out on a friends set. This was exciting for me because it was the first time I was trying new things. I was always nervous and lacked confidence in my work, my friend convinced me to go and I loved it! Believe it or not, I had NO idea how to use that camera! I look really cool though.
My first high-school prom wasn’t particularly the best. I expected to dress up like a princess, but ended up wearing a £20 short dress from River Island. So when I got to relieve prom again, I was ecstatic. Another reason why this prom is such a significant moment for me is because it was when I realized that the friends I had before were not real friends at all. I missed out on the opportunity to go to the first University prom because my then friends thought it was silly and didn’t think I should go. When the opportunity came again, my university friends convinced me to go and were as excited as I was! I knew I had surrounded myself with the right people. I got to feel like a princess and enjoy the day with my girlfriends.
I used to spend a LOT of time in my room. Either just sleeping, watching movies or doing essays. Unlike most people, I found it pretty hard to do any work in the library so I would always work in my room. I had trouble writing some essays, so looking back at this picture reminds me of how I was scared/confused and all those bad feelings. I always tried sooo hard but never used to do as well as I had hoped. If I could give anyone who struggles with essays some advice is- get some advice- from experts that is. The University offers academic skills support. Just arrange an appointment and they will help you.
Here I was on a flight to Greece.This was my first holiday abroad with a friend. This was the best and most liberating holidays I have had in my entire life! For so many reasons. One being that I finally had the confidence to travel without my family. It was right after first year so I know that this new found confidence was because of university!
Of course I have many many moments, but they would all be just too much to put on here. You can look through my Instagram if you want to know more. @queeniechrystal
