We all know that “you only need 40 percent in first year” is a statement tossed around seemingly endlessly, that encourages freshers to make the most of their first year at university socially.
However, the movement to second year and finally third year often makes nostalgic honours students wish for those simpler times again, when essays and lab reports weren’t quite so nightmare-inducing.
The difference between second year and third year often becomes even more startling: suddenly you’re having to face the fact that soon you’ll be cast out into the adult world of holding down a full-time job, and let’s face it, we’d all rather be transported back to our fresher days. So, here are just a few ways that third year is different to second year.
Deadlines suddenly become a lot more important
But you understand how to manage them better. In second year, despite deadlines counting towards your degree, they didn’t count quite as much as in third year. This means that they can feel a lot more stressful, however, you now know roughly how long things are going to take to do, and have made all the time management mistakes in the past, so you know what to avoid.
Joining societies suddenly seems more appealing than ever
Whether it’s writing for your university paper, or partaking in trampolining competitions, the majority of final years really want that something extra to go on their CV before the chance is lost to them to join societies at university. Gone is that procrastinating “I’ll do it next year” attitude – now is the last chance.
The library definitely becomes your local haunt
The second-year desire to avoid the dull silence of the library is lost, especially as dissertations come rolling around. Suddenly you find yourself in there at midnight on a coffee-fuelled essay or project ramble that will make you despair in the morning (or when you wake up at midnight, face glued to the desk with your own drool).
Finally, final year is the time to really push yourself far beyond your own boundaries and experience university life to its fullest. Do your best academically and manage your social life well to get the maximum out of it – second year is mediocre in comparison!
In what ways do you think final year is different to second year? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo: Scott Akerman / Flickr
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