Tag Archive: assignments

  1. The fresher’s fear

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    ”How is the second year? Is it easier?” Her face is hopeful, almost pleading.
    ”Compared with the second year, the first year was nothing.” As soon as I finish the sentence I regret saying it. I see the same sense of dread, panic and anxiety I used to carry around as a first year settle into the fresher’s face.

    How do you tell a first year that the majority of the work is still to come without freaking them out? “The second year is a lot more work, more projects, more assignments, more hours, less sleep. But in a good way”? Doesn’t sound very convincing. If someone had told me the same thing when I was a fresher I would’ve thought: “Yeah right, what do you know about life? I’m doomed.”

    The first year of uni is like stepping onto a treadmill and realising too late that it’s put to 15km/h. You stumble forwards, struggling to stay upright. Some, unfortunately, lose their footing, and drop out. But usually, if you try hard enough, you’ll get up to speed. And when you do it’s like you’ve conquered the world.

    This however, is a bit hard to communicate without being looked at as a crazy person. Sometimes it might be better to just let them figure it out on their own. The only thing I can think of to say is: it gets better; stop fretting, and get conquering.

  2. Why I’m looking forward to reading week. Already.

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    I should have known something was wrong when the first week and a half of uni was surprisingly calm. “Wow, this isn’t even half as bad as I suspected,” I thought.

    We’d been told how the second year was way harder than the first. “Pffff, they’re just trying to scare us; this is nothing.”

    We were lured into a false sense of security until a Thursday afternoon, an afternoon just like every other, when we were dragged back to reality.

    BOOM! “Here you go, suckers, three assignments in a week! Oh, you’d planned to relax this weekend? Too bad!”

    Ok, so I might be over exaggerating just a tad, but that’s what it felt like; like an ambush.

    Or maybe it was just the shock after lying around on the couch for three months and then suddenly having to do something productive.

    Anyways, uni is busier than ever, but it’s quite good fun. Don’t get me wrong: I love uni. I just think we need to wake up from our summer slumber.

    At least as a second year I know what to expect and don’t have to worry about getting lost every day on top of everything else. I remember how, when I started uni, I got a minor panic attack every time we got a new assignment. “Omg, how am I going to do this, I don’t know anything. I don’t even know why I’m here – I suck.”

    The funny thing is I recognise that same scared expression on this year’s freshers; they look so confused and lost. Oh, how life flies by.

    Anyways, I better get back to work. Thank god there’s only a few weeks left ‘till reading week.