In September 2015, i flew the nest to begin my university chapter. University always seemed a million years away, like it was the ultimate thing to do after finishing school and college, which both did their fair share of dragging. I'll be honest now, and say the concept of university never thrilled me. It wasn't something i desperately wanted to do, it was simply the right path for me to take when it came to deciding on my near future in my second year of college. This may seem strange, and why would i bother if it wasn't something i have always really wanted to do?
I have taken dance classes since i was 3 years old, I was prancing around way before that. My whole life has always been about dance, there has never been anything else. I can't even remember making a decision to do dance or for it to carry on being my career, dance has just always been my life and i have no memory of being without it. It is entirely who i am and it is what makes me sane. The thought of my life now without dance is a very depressing thought for me. I have never been stuck deciding on what to do with my life after school or college, it was simply; to dance.
So when i was finishing my A Levels, i had to decide how i was going to carry on dance. I looked into a few options, and it came down to vocational dance colleges or university. After further research i decided vocational wasn't for me, i wasn't interested in acting or singing, and most vocational courses are not funded by student finance, which i couldn't afford without. So university presented itself as my new venture into dance, and i loved the sound of studying dance at university.
So the next step was finding which universities i liked the sound of, and applying for them through UCAS (i do not miss that process at all). I used 3 out of my 5 options, and applied for Bath Spa, De Montfort and Chichester. I felt happy with these decisions, i did alot of research into these courses and they sounded perfect for me. I first auditioned for De Montfort, which was a 5 hour train journey away in Leicester, and i had to stay in a hotel the night before. The university was great, i really loved the campus and the course presented itself really well, and i loved the audition. I left with a buzz, it was definitely a choice.
My second audition was at Bath Spa, which was a 40 minute drive away from where i live. Bath is a beautiful city, and i was very hopeful as it was close to home. Unfortunately, i just was not impressed with the audition or the presentation of the course at all, it was unorganised and the staff were less than singing praises or selling it well. It was a massive shame as i was really hopeful. It wasn't a choice for me.
My last audition was at Chichester, and it was the tie breaker. It was 2 and a half hours on the train, and the city is stunning. I cannot describe it, but i got into Chichester and i just knew. I hadn't even gotten to the university and i knew, i just felt instantly at home. The university was amazing, i was more than impressed and the course sounded incredible and exactly what i was looking for. The audition was thoroughly enjoyable, and i had fingers and toes crossed all the way home that i would be accepted. I was, and i was super happy. De Montfort was my insurance choice, but Chichester just felt completely right for me.
Due to the course being an audition process, the UCAS points required weren't too high, although Chichester had quite a high UCAS point requirement. I worked it out that i would need to achieve three E's in order to get in. I don't want to sound up myself, but i knew this was completely achievable for me. I'm very academic, and i gave everything i had into revising and working hard for my A Level exams, so i knew my hard work would pay off. I ended up with three B's which i was pleased with, and i was accepted into my first choice university.
I had been collecting stuff for uni for months, i absolutely loved mooching round for kitchen things and cushions. I didn't go crazy, i bought from budget shops such as Wilko's, B&M, Primark and Poundland. I loved everything i bought, whenever i looked through my stuff i got really excited.
September rolled around and i was well prepared to move to uni. I was very nervous, im quite a shy person and i wasn't sure if anybody would like me. It was a 2 hour drive, and i got to my halls (Pinewood House if you were wondering) at about 11am on Sunday 20th September. My halls weren't conventional, it was just a big house which wasn't split into flats like most other halls. There were about 50 rooms, 15-20 on each floor. I was on the top floor (Room 214), and the first thing i noticed was the window, it was gorgeous. The rest of my halls were not so gorgeous, the sharing facilities were well below par, and the kitchen was just about in working order. It was the cheapest rent of all the halls, and now that i have moved out, i do not miss it one bit. My experience in halls was not a fun one.
Freshers week was good, i remember being high on life in those first two weeks of uni. Everything was new and exciting, i had made lots of new friends, i had started a course which i absolutely loved, and i just loved being able to dance again after a long summer off.
Once freshers week distanced itself from the hard work which was coming my way, everything settled down a bit. The rest of the year is the same really. A couple of exciting things happened throughout the semester, but it was mainly getting my head down to write countless essays, spending early mornings and late nights in the studio rehearsing, alongside my all of my other classes and modules. I won't go into too much detail about my course, because i doubt many of you are interested in the details of a course you probably wouldn't take. However i met some amazing friends and dancers, and i love these photos too much to not share.
I don't know what i was expecting out of my first year of university. I guess that's what was so exciting, i had no idea what was going to happen, what i was going to learn and how much i will have grown as a person by the end. Some people think university students don't do alot, that they have hardly any timetabled classes and in their spare time all they do is eat baked beans and get drunk. I can't tell you how far from the truth that is. Well for me anyway, i can't speak for every student. So much is packed into the few weeks you are at university, this 3.5 month summer break is well earned let me tell you
Apart from my dancing, my self confidence has grown so much over the past 8 months, i feel like i can take on anything now. I am fully geared up for second year, i've had the taster of first year and now i know what to expect. Not only will things be stepping up a notch, but i will also be the President for the Dance Society which is really exciting! I can't wait for that adventure.
So as i mentioned, i have a 3.5 month summer now which means i have tonnes of spare time to do whatever i want in. Seeing as i've abandoned this blog over the last year, i am hoping to be able to write more on here, i'd like to focus more on lifestyle things rather than fashion or beauty, as that really wasn't my bag.
Laura x
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