Final Year: What I've Learned
So somehow I have managed to get through my final year in college and out the other side and I can happily say - I am FINISHED MY DEGREE! *praise hands emoji* *crosses fingers re: no repeats*
There were most definitely times throughout the year when I wanted to pack it all in and just drop out, where I felt like I couldn't do it and that I just didn't want to anymore, and where I felt like all my motivation had just vanished. If you have just finished your final year in college (or even secondary school) I'm sure you can relate to the feelings I've mentioned. The important thing to remind yourself is this: Speed doesn't matter, forward is forward. Don't be so hard on yourself, you're doing the best you can.
SO, in order to somehow explain how I appear to have got through my final year of university - a feat, in September, I believed to be impossible - I would like to share with you some of the things I think led me to getting here. I hope these help you if you are starting your final year - or any difficult year in school/college/life soon!
1. Balance
I'm putting this first as I think it is truly one of the most important things to ensure that your final year workload does not result in a mental breakdown. Although many breakdowns happened throughout the year - to be expected, you're not crazy - I think these would have increased tenfold if I hadn't introduced a little thing called balance into the mix. Balance with regard to final year for me meant finding the balance between college work/assignments/final year project/studying, my job, my social life and Me Time. This is no mean feat however, but I truly believe if you do everything you can to find this balance you will be much happier and more successful in your final year because of it. Often the people who do nothing but study and live in the library fall down in happiness and social aspects of life and as a result it is difficult to concentrate and do well. During final year, I probably went out once every week - something I didn't think I'd have time to do - and made sure to make time to see my friends outside of that too, whether this was between study breaks for a quick cup of tea, or late at night on my way home from the library - wherever you can squeeze in this time, try your hardest! These things will keep you sane, even if it's just for half an hour, I found it put me in a better mindset to work afterwards. Also having these things to look forward to, planning a trip or a night out or even just a coffee date with a friend or some Me Time to get your nails done or go for a walk or put on a face mask - these little things will get you through the long days and weeks. Promise.
2. Support
Again, friends come in very useful at this step (don't they always?), as do family in my case. I can honestly say, without my friends and family keeping me sane and telling me I could do it when all I wanted to do was pack it in, I would not have finished final year - not even being dramatic here. In all aspects of my life I know I can turn to my friends and family when things go pear-shaped or when I just need to vent or for them to tell me I'm not crazy and that I can do things even if I feel like I can't. This reliance on them definitely increased in final year and I am eternally grateful to them for being there for the study breaks for coffee or tea or ice cream or a drive, or even just to listen to me freaking out and offer kind words of support - they are truly the best people in the world. Keep them close, whoever this support network may be for you.
3. Organisation
Unfortunately, being organised in final year is an important one. The best way for me to stay organised in life in general is to make to-do lists and also to keep a diary (as in, the type that tells you what date it is). By making to-do lists broken down into each day, I found that the amount I had to do was less overwhelming when it was broken down into feasible tasks I could complete and tick off daily (and we all know the sense of accomplishment that comes with ticking things off a list). Also, keeping a diary was useful for keeping track of deadlines, exam dates, meetings with my FYP supervisor and things like that. Coming up to exam time, I also found it useful to make a study plan, again making the insane workload seem more manageable by breaking it down into bite sized pieces.
Top Tip: Being organised is actually fun when you use nice stationary - TK Maxx and Paperchase are my absolutely favourites for cute notebooks and diaries.
4. End goal
This is definitely an important one to get you through the days where you feel like you should probably just set up camp in the library because you're there so much, and you're questioning are the sleep-deprived nights and countless hours of work really worth it. This is when you need to envision your end goal - however short or long term that may be. For some people it might be a more long term goal like getting onto a Masters programme or securing their dream job. For me this year my goal was simply to graduate (and do well obviously) so I could leave and go somewhere else. A different county, a different country - wherever as long as I get to leave! It doesn't matter how big, small, long-term or short-term your end goal is, as long as you have something to work towards it will motivate you so much on those days when the going gets tough. Remind yourself that you just have to get through this difficult part to get to where you want to be. Oprah says so, and let's be real here, Oprah knows what she's talking about.
5. Don't compare
If you compare yourself to others in your class or friend group, trust me this is not a helpful thing to do. You are all different people, everybody studies differently, works differently, time manages differently, is motivated by different things, deals with stress differently etc. Thus, comparing what you are doing to what others are doing will just make you feel as though you're doing something wrong or not doing enough when that may not be the case. For example, there will be people who get up at 6am to start studying and go to bed early. Then there are others who study better later in the day and can handle doing late nights. Each to their own - you do not need to be like anybody else. Do your own thing, work away at your own pace in your own way, keeping in mind what needs to be done and when, and trust me things WILL work out. Just because you're not doing the exact same thing everyone else is doing doesn't mean you're going to succeed any less (unless of course you're just not studying at all and join the travelling circus. Then, obviously, the end result of that would not be the same as other people's study routes).
If you compare yourself to others in your class or friend group, trust me this is not a helpful thing to do. You are all different people, everybody studies differently, works differently, time manages differently, is motivated by different things, deals with stress differently etc. Thus, comparing what you are doing to what others are doing will just make you feel as though you're doing something wrong or not doing enough when that may not be the case. For example, there will be people who get up at 6am to start studying and go to bed early. Then there are others who study better later in the day and can handle doing late nights. Each to their own - you do not need to be like anybody else. Do your own thing, work away at your own pace in your own way, keeping in mind what needs to be done and when, and trust me things WILL work out. Just because you're not doing the exact same thing everyone else is doing doesn't mean you're going to succeed any less (unless of course you're just not studying at all and join the travelling circus. Then, obviously, the end result of that would not be the same as other people's study routes).
You are your own person, and this applies in all areas of life, we are constantly told and telling people not to compare themselves to others with regard to what we look like or where we live or how many material items we have - so why do it when it comes to work ethic and study routine? Work hard, do it whatever way you feel works well for you and you will succeed.
6. Eat well
I am guilty of not adhering to this one which is why I have included it. My diet in final year tended to consist of a really good breakfast but then every other meal was mainly a chocolate bar and tea/coffee, before eating dinner at like 10pm. NOT A GOOD IDEA PEOPLE. Because my body (and mind) weren't getting the nutrients they needed at the right pace throughout the day, I constantly felt exhausted. I know it is difficult to manage your food intake when you are in the library all day but it will benefit you so much if you just take half an hour the night before to prepare a few things you can take with you. Whether you bring leftovers in a tupperware box or bring some fruit and cereal bars to keep you going - this will be more beneficial to you and your concentration (fruit and veg are key!) than a stable diet of Crunchies and coffee. Trust me! However, you do have to allow yourself the Crunchie and coffee breaks from time to time (perhaps once a day instead of four times), its all about balance after all! Also try your best to fit in a good breakfast in the morning, it really kickstarts your body and mind for the day (favourite breakfasts post coming up soon!)
If you do feel fatigued - go to the pharmacy and get yourself some vitamins - tell the pharmacist how you're feeling and they will know which ones to recommend to you to improve how you feel. Being deprived of sleep and having a questionable diet in final year can really take its toll on how you feel and also how well you work and concentrate, so giving your body that extra bit of help with some vitamins you may be lacking is never a bad idea. I would also recommend exercise of any sort to help you clear your mind and relieve stress - I can't say I did this but I know people who made sure to include exercise in their routines in the week and when stress levels got high - they were the ones who were cool, calm and collected! Plus there are probably billions of scientific research studies which prove how beneficial exercise in stressful times can be.
7. Notice every achievement
One way to keep your motivation levels high is to take a step back and really notice when you achieve something - no matter how small it is. Whether it is getting an assignment finished the day before the deadline rather than the hour before, or getting 1000 words written in your thesis that day instead of 10, or making it through a class presentation without passing out - all of these are reasons to be proud of yourself. Congratulate yourself on these seemingly small achievements - they all come together bit by bit to contribute to your final grade so each little thing matters! Doing this will also make you more motivated to take on the next task as you feel a sense of accomplishment.
I hope this post has been helpful to any of you who are going into your final year in school or college or university this Autumn and need a little bit of reassurance that things will be okay, and some advice on how to change your mindset when things may feel like they are spiralling out of control (it happens to everyone, some people are just better at hiding it). If it helped you, please share it with someone else you think might benefit from it too!
I wish you the very best of luck whatever you are taking on, if I can do it and get out the other side then you can, trust me :)
Thank you for reading,
(I rambled as per usual, apologies)
Siofra
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Photo sources: Pinterest and my class mates
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