Making the Most of University

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Becoming a student was a huge decision. I didn’t want to give up my full time work income and I wasn’t too sure I wanted to spend another three years of my life in full time education to come out and face an uncertain job market. However, I still wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do with my life and I felt that becoming a student would give me the time to decide whilst improving my skills and making myself more employable.

University has given me more free time than I ve ever had before. Some weeks I will only have 6 hours of classes and this leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. I see a lot of people in my year simply wasting this time away, playing x box all day and night or going out drinking 4 nights a week. And there is nothing wrong with doing those things in moderation! But the way I see it, as students we should be taking advantage of this free time, trying new things, improving our skills and ourselves rather than wasting it. after all, we may never have this opportunity again!

We should also remember that, as so many people are coming out of university with the same degree classifications, simply gaining a degree is no where near enough to secure a job. Employers are increasingly looking at what we do in our spare time, what skills we have developed and our personalities, more than what degree we have!

Here is a list of suggestions to those students wanting to do more than sit in the pub for three years;

Part-time work: working part-time around your studies may not sound too attractive but in many ways it can be a hugely rewarding experience. Not only do you earn extra money to fund your studies or social life, you also meet new people who may be completely different to the people you are used to hanging around with. If you haven t worked before university, part-time work also gives you an opportunity to add to your c.v.

Sports Teams: Your university will have a whole host of sports teams, from darts to martial arts. Always wanted to try a new sport but didn’t have a club nearby/ then take advantage of the diverse sporting opportunities your university offers. Joining a sports team will help you keep fit, introduce you to new people and give you something else to focus on other than work.

-societies: If you have always had an interest in politics and want to pursue it, even if your degree is in business studies, you could join the political society and pursue that interest. Whatever your interest is, the student union will have a society for it, and if it doesn’t, then you could create one. joining a society can help you develop your interest and expertise in a topic, even if you are not even studying it, and this can be a great plus on your c.v.

Join the Empower Network: You have so much time, and the Empower Network takes up so little of your time, I think every student should join the Empower Network. Not only do you have the opportunity to earn money, you get to talk about things that interest you and develop your own ideas.

Keep fit: Every University has a gym on campus or near it. Health is one of the most important things to us and all we have to do is sacrifice a couple of hours each week to exercise to improve it. University gym memberships are normally very cheap and exercising will give your more energy and improve your mood. EVERY student should invest time in exercise even if they have no interest in sport.

Learn A Language: This is not something I have tried to do yet but I am looking into it. Imagine how great it would be to go to a different country and be able to speak with the locals. I can imagine it being difficult to do but we have the time! Check your University to see if they offer classes.

Start your own Business:

With so much time on your hands, now is the perfect time to put that business idea you ve always had into action. Sure it costs money to start a business, but with all the government funding available, it is possible. When you leave university and get a job you may not have the time to put a business idea into action. So take advantage of the time you have now. There will be tons of budding entrepreneurs on campus who you could talk to and get advice from and universities often have entrepreneur competitions and encourage student entrepreneurs.

The list really is endless and I could go on and on. The point is, as students we really are in a unique position to be able to pursue ANYTHING we want to. I’ve probably missed some other great ideas so if you have any suggestions please comment.