The Amsterdammer

Whether you’re doing a degree in business, science or social sciences, university life will teach you more than just the outlines of your programme. This includes heartbreaks, dealing with rejection, being independent and many other essential life skills. 

University is the place to learn more about yourself and, in some ways, it prepares you for adult life. It’s not just exams and lectures that teach you something: the personal experiences you go through during university offer crucial life lessons which shape you as a person. 

For me, university was the place where I became more independent, not just financially – but in every aspect of my life. In high school, I was relying on my parents for everything, but now, I’ve got a part-time job to fund myself and my (sometimes excessive) shopping habits.

This is the time you become responsible for your own finances, most notably in order to pay your rent and tuition fees. You learn to manage your income and spendings, which is a life-saving skill.

University life also teaches you to cope with failure, because in all honesty, none of us are perfect. Every person will face setbacks at some point in their life, and this becomes especially prominent at university. Some might go from being the number one student in high school to struggling with passing classes at university – and that’s ok. Your teacher might not like your essay but that doesn’t mean you’re a complete failure. Rather, it’s an opportunity to learn how to deal with it and move on. 

These struggles ultimately become the driving force for you to do better.

Similarly, for those who do choose to move out on their own after high school, it marks a significant moment in their life. Living by yourself allows you to become independent and make your own choices; even though on the surface, it may just be simple decisions such as choosing to stay out late at night or going to bed early. You learn to look after yourself and figure out what works best for you. That means, for example, deciding between filling your grocery basket with quick snacks or actually preparing to cook healthy meals.

More importantly, this time teaches you about the realities of friendships and love. This differs from high school where you may not see your friends every day because you’re taking different classes – or there’s simply not enough time for a much-needed lunch date to catch up. 

Besides, you meet many new and different types of people at university. But the reality is that some people can have a negative influence on your well-being and academic career – either through their excessive partying or simply by distracting you from your studies. That’s when you learn to recognize true friends: those who always have your back no matter what. Whether you manage to see each other often or not, they never fail to provide you with emotional support.

All in all, university life is a unique experience where you sometimes get thrown into uncharted waters, but eventually come out stronger. It’s a place for growth, and it sets the foundation for your future as an adult.