Isla’s a recent BU graduate and is currently working as Marketing and Events Assistant at BU. In this blog, she reveals the ups and downs of getting to uni…

Rewind to September 2014 and there’s me, sat up in bed, the night before heading off to BU to study BA (Hons) Events Management, absolutely freaking out. I thought I’d made a terrible mistake, moving out of the comfort of my parents’ home where I had my laundry done for me and my Dad‘s dinners on the table every night after college. Fast forward 24 hours and I was 100% sure I’d made the right decision.

Now the journey to get to this point came with some challenges. I had attended an art college instead of staying on at sixth form at my school, so my college lecturers were keen for me to stay on and continue my studies with them. However, the world of events seemed really exciting to me and I wanted the opportunity to try something new. It meant that I had to research universities on my own as this subject wasn’t something my college could really advise me on. Luckily, I’d heard that BU had a great reputation for events and it was a booming industry in the area, so my decision was made. I’m so glad I stuck with it and am proud that I made my own decision.

Now back to the first night of university, I sat there with my housemates who would soon become my closest friends, laughing about how crazy everything had been already just on the first day. It made the stress of researching, visiting and applying to universities all worth it in the end and was the most satisfying feeling knowing that I had made it.

In my first year, I had a unit of Finance. I’ve never been very good with numbers so I struggled with getting to grips with the subject. Feeling like everyone else around me knew what they were talking about; I gave up and just hoped that sheer luck would help me out with the exam.

It didn’t.

After failing the exam I realised I needed to ask for help. I spoke with my lecturer Brian, explained where I was having difficulty and he was more than willing to help me out. He organised one-to-one sessions, phone calls and would always respond to my email questions promptly. He helped me out over the summer, wished me luck on the day of the retake and I passed! Honestly, I couldn’t have done it without my amazing lecturer and I’ll always be thankful that he was there to support me.

In my opinion, university isn’t just about getting a degree. It’s about learning about yourself, gaining new skills, and finding where you might need a bit more support (this will probably be cooking and laundry if you’re anything like I was!). I really had to learn how to step out of my comfort zone and did so by going to fresher’s and society events.

I tried karaoke, explored Bournemouth, discovered new foods and took part in Leggit, a charity event organised by SUBU where you have to hitchhike as far away from Bournemouth as you can without spending any money. You meet some really interesting people on that journey, let me tell you! Getting involved with the social aspect of university is really important and will really help you feel at home and settled. This is how I met the majority of my friends, who I went on to live with in student houses and am still so close with now.

I’m not going to lie to you, university is a wild rollercoaster ride. There will be challenging times on your journey ahead but, honestly, it’s the best, most exciting years you can possibly imagine. Take it on head first and throw yourself into it, you won’t regret it.

You’re in for a treat!