Universities don’t prepare you for life after graduation; instead you are left to sink or swim.
As a recent graduate, I have compiled a list of things universities haven’t told you:
1. Until September, it won’t completely sink in that you aren’t going back.
Remember all those hours spent slaving over your dissertation? Well, it’s amazing how the summer can give you temporary memory loss.
You forget that you aren’t a student and you are now required to be a functioning member of society. Midday naps and tequila induced hangovers on a Monday are no longer a thing.
2. You might have to get a hobby.
After starting my internship, I basked in the glory of finishing at five. However, with more time on my hands; I began to feel restless, and miserable.
Over time I found that you can overcome the post university blues by keeping yourself occupied. On my intern’s salary, I have taken up yoga in a bid to achieve my lifelong goal of doing the splits and I have begun exploring the world of culinary delights, starting with Quinoa.
3. Taxes are a thing.
Even though I was aware that taxes exist; I knew that as a student, I didn’t pay them. Initially, I was cool until I learned about council tax .
With my local council, I’d get more satisfaction from burning my money. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid taxes, unless you want the police knocking on your door.
4. You may become illiterate.
Unless your job is literature based, you probably won’t have to write extended essays ever again.
Thus, after deciding to take a break from any reading for the summer (The Daily Mail with their various typos was as intellectual as I got) on a good day, my writing was at Primary school level.
The only solution to this problem is to read and write more. Set yourself a goal of reading at least one book a month. It doesn’t matter if it is Twilight or Jane Eyre as long as you are reading some form of extended prose.
5. You may never want to go back.
Despite the transitional period, once you find a job that you enjoy waking up to, you stop looking back at uni life with longing.
The spontaneous nights out and ”optional” nine o’clock lectures may have been fun, but being able to afford nice vodka instead of the paint stripper that you guzzled as a student is much nicer.
Written by Zoe Mumba
