My Life on the Net

I’ve learned a few things since I started my life in university - mainly just how high school should have been. If you were like me, your school experience was full of boredom and I remember never really feeling challenged. It had it’s positives, sure, but the negatives highly outweighed them.

Although the course I chose to do at uni wasn’t exactly challenging, I’ve still learned a lot. It may not have been about Web Design or Web Development - but more about life and different ways of learning.

The ability to work on your own projects.
School kept me busy, especially in my last two years. Everywhere I turned, there was homework due or a huge amount of classes to revise for. Not fun. At university, this semester I have just over 10 hours of classes a week - a stark drop from the 28 hours I had in high school. It means I can work on what I want - let it be sleeping, watching tv, coding ever delayed web projects or photowalking.

It’s not just the lack of classes that helps - it’s what’s available to us. If I need to, I can go into university and use their software, their hardware, research in an enormous library or even rent equipment to do what we need.

It’s not as stressful.
There’s still assignments due, sure. But instead of overnight coursework taking up your time when you come home - you’ve got a month, maybe even two to write an essay or design a website. Simple, which means I don’t feel as stressed until the last night remembering that I haven’t done a thing for it.

The coursework isn’t as specific.

I remember my essays from last year for Higher English and History were extremely strict. Strict questions, strict answers.  It’s a bit of a jump when you move to uni to have a question that could mean a variety of things - but i’ve found it really helpful not feeling restricted. It means I can go where I want to go with the question, and I still pass well.

I don’t need to get up as early.

Well, it’s an 11am start for all of my classes. Yay. Sometimes it’s even later. Double Yay.

Everything’s a little easier to store.

I could never find my notes from high school. They were always bundled in ring-binders and disordered - so if I was looking for a specific note on let’s say… The Great Gatsby, i’d have to spend about half an hour looking for it.

With most of the notes, assessment details and lectures available online - it saves a bunch of time and takes only a few minutes to find what you’re looking for.

Don’t worry about the move to uni - they make it easy.

If you know nothing - you’ll be fine. If you know a little - it’ll be easier. If you know too much - prepared to be bored.