The process of applying to university was so intense, so busy and fraught with worry and anticipation that it felt like a journey, the end of which was arriving at university itself. It felt like uni was a way-off achievement that could only be attained by overcoming all these different obstacles... and so we overcame them. But because it was such a long process, it ended up feeling to me like uni was the end of that journey.
That's ridiculous, of course. University is not the end of a journey - it's the beginning of one. It was literally the beginning of my 'adult', independent life. But last week I sent off my application to study in Spain for three months from September and now I can only hope (very, very, very hard) that I get in. I'm so excited! It's weird though, thinking about it - after all the time that I spent considering which university I should choose here in England, after all the preparation; studying the courses, looking at the website, going to visit - it's weird that I've just looked at the seven study abroad options available to people on my course, picked the country I wanted to go to, Googled it, had a quick look at the list of modules and sent my application. And yes, okay, there was more to it than that - we had to consider accommodation (both home and abroad), and whether it would affect our student loans, and whether their modules were relevant to our courses, and we had to get approved to apply by our head of faculty, and then we had to write the application itself (which took bloody ages... why does everything need a personal statement these days?) and now I have to renew my passport and I'm taking extracurricular Spanish lessons because literally all I can say in Spanish is "I don't speak Spanish", "woman", and "you are very important to me"... which are of course the most important things one needs to know when moving abroad. Second, naturally, to "where's the pub?"... I'd better get on that.
Despite the fact that where I'm going they actually speak Catalan rather than Spanish... but uni doesn't offer a Catalan option and teaching yourself a language is haaaard. Trust me on that one.
But if you think that's a lot of preparation for something that may not even happen, it's nothing compared to the mountains of preparation and paperwork and time it took to apply to and get ready for university itself. It took me a year and a half to get everything organised for that and now here I am, thinking of shooting off abroad to somewhere I've never even been. Admittedly it's different when it's three months rather than three years, but the point still stands!
When I was choosing which unis to apply to, I made sure there was a study abroad option because it was something I just really wanted to do, so even when I started doubting that it was a good idea, I just thought, "Well, you're never going to get the chance to do this again, and you basically chose your uni because of it, so why the hell not?"
And why the hell not indeed. This may be a scary opportunity, but it is just that - an opportunity. A big one. And though I know I'll be terrified if it all actually comes off - I'll be lying there in bed the night before, just like I was on the 16th September last year, the day before I moved to York, having a massive spaz about the idea of moving abroad - I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something. And it is for that reason that I have to give this a go, even if it doesn't happen. Wish me luck!
This is the time in our lives that we can make changes like this, because "why not?" is a good enough reason right now. We've got plenty of time to be dull and boring when we grow up and life demands it of us; there's no reason to give in to it as early as this. Life isn't about boredom and suffering through something you don't find fulfilling; it's about moments like these, about having the courage to take your life into your own hands. That's why they call it "life", after all - we're supposed to feel alive! Have a dream, get excited, follow it through. How often do we actually get the opportunity to do that, and why not make the most of it while we can?
Go kick some ass!
Molly x
Despite the fact that where I'm going they actually speak Catalan rather than Spanish... but uni doesn't offer a Catalan option and teaching yourself a language is haaaard. Trust me on that one.
But if you think that's a lot of preparation for something that may not even happen, it's nothing compared to the mountains of preparation and paperwork and time it took to apply to and get ready for university itself. It took me a year and a half to get everything organised for that and now here I am, thinking of shooting off abroad to somewhere I've never even been. Admittedly it's different when it's three months rather than three years, but the point still stands!
When I was choosing which unis to apply to, I made sure there was a study abroad option because it was something I just really wanted to do, so even when I started doubting that it was a good idea, I just thought, "Well, you're never going to get the chance to do this again, and you basically chose your uni because of it, so why the hell not?"
And why the hell not indeed. This may be a scary opportunity, but it is just that - an opportunity. A big one. And though I know I'll be terrified if it all actually comes off - I'll be lying there in bed the night before, just like I was on the 16th September last year, the day before I moved to York, having a massive spaz about the idea of moving abroad - I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something. And it is for that reason that I have to give this a go, even if it doesn't happen. Wish me luck!
This is the time in our lives that we can make changes like this, because "why not?" is a good enough reason right now. We've got plenty of time to be dull and boring when we grow up and life demands it of us; there's no reason to give in to it as early as this. Life isn't about boredom and suffering through something you don't find fulfilling; it's about moments like these, about having the courage to take your life into your own hands. That's why they call it "life", after all - we're supposed to feel alive! Have a dream, get excited, follow it through. How often do we actually get the opportunity to do that, and why not make the most of it while we can?
Go kick some ass!
Molly x
