Here are 12 random Liverpool Uni moments that make you feel like a proper grown up

Travelling back to your hometown during a reading week genuinely feels like you’re going back in time. It’s not until you’re sat in your childhood bedroom as a twenty-something student that you realise getting a graduate job in the real world is right around the corner, and that being a fresher isn’t a long term occupation, unfortunately.

The impending feeling of real life adult gloom whilst being at university never seems to go away, and as fun as it is to go on a spontaneous midweek night out, or skip a lecture to head down to Formby beach with your housemates, time really does feel like it’s slipping through your fingers. Before you know it, you’re getting excited for your weekly food shop and prefer a night in on the sofa to rolling in at 6am after Skint Tuesdays.

It’s not like you needed reminding, but some of these totally random university moments that you’re guaranteed to experience in Liverpool really do make you feel like a functioning adult sometimes – and make you realise that the three years you’ve got as an undergraduate really are quite precious.

Saying no to a night out – and actually being fine with it

Yes, it’s possible. In the first year, saying no to a night out felt illegal. Even when you weren’t in the mood, you’d force yourself to go out of pure fear of missing out – and being scared your new friends would hate you if you didn’t. You’d be terrified that they’d have a good time without you, or come up with an inside joke that would stick for the rest of the semester, and you weren’t there to see it being born.

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Let’s be honest, wasting money and energy on a night that ends up being mid is not worth it. Learning to stay in, guilt-free, and wake up refreshed for that 9am lecture is a level of maturity everyone should experience at least once. Trust me, it’s worth it. Plus, there’s something deeply smug about being well-rested while everyone else is battling a hangover. 

Being able to go out just for fun, and not on the pull

Speaking of nights out, genuinely enjoying yourself without scanning the room for someone attractive to have a dance floor makeout session with makes the whole night more fun and relaxed. Just vibing with your friends, dancing to your heart’s content, and not worrying about impressing some random stranger you’ll never see again? That’s true adult freedom. Honestly, the best nights I’ve had were the ones where I didn’t add a single new contact to my phone – and we all know deep down that your best dance partner is your best mate gassing you up.

Actually showing up to all your lectures

Nothing screams “put together adult” more than consistently attending your lectures. Simply getting ready and making the effort to go to uni helps establish a productive routine, making your days feel longer and more structured. Plus, you finally understand what’s actually happening in class instead of relying on the crunchy lecture recordings that realistically, you never end up watching. The end of the week realisation that you made it to every seminar is on another level, and it truly makes you feel like a grown up, in preparation for your real world graduate job.

Not procrastinating doing your readings

Wait, you’re telling me that actually doing the weekly readings on time makes the course easier to understand? And that it makes me feel more productive and less stressed? Why did no one tell me this sooner? It’s almost like the lecturers had a point when they assigned them.

This is another one that gives you that adult-like one up on your friends and coursemates because surprisingly, you do actually have a chance of getting above 50 per cent on an assignment when you understand the content. Your brand new grown up brain is hit with the realisation that learning things can be fun sometimes, and that doing five pages of reading post-lecture isn’t as hard as first year you made it out to be.

Submitting assignments way before the deadline

Speaking of, working on assignments little by little, weeks in advance, not only reduces stress but also leads to better work. The serotonin boost of submitting an assignment early? Priceless. Even if it’s a couple hours away, it’s still a win.

Have you ever successfully sent in an essay in the afternoon then had time to go out afterwards? There’s nothing quite like it – you feel productive, put together and free from the shackles of that really awful optional module. Plus, watching your friends scramble in panic while you sit back and relax is when you truly feel like a grown up academic weapon.

Feeling hungover after one drink

Ah, the good old days of four night benders fuelled by Dragon Soop and pure determination. I’m not sure how first year me managed to handle early bird tickets to Electrik and consuming a borderline concerning amount of cheesy chips in my hayday, let alone waking up hangover-free the next morning.

When you start to feel like a grown up at uni, the thought of being in Fusion at 6am sends shivers down your spine. You have one vodka lemonade and suddenly the migraine is coming on, you’ve got the shakes already and you can feel a hungover takeaway calling your name all the way from Concert Square. It’s a true marker of adulthood when you start to pace yourself – even worse when you’re spacing out drinks with pints of ice water in between.

Realising you don’t have unlimited free time anymore

Between work, uni, and a social life, free time becomes a rare luxury as a student. Remember back in your school days when boredom was a real struggle? I actually can hear myself complaining about having nothing to do. You’re now swamped with all sorts of deadlines and applications, and you’ve got to file a hangout request weeks in advance just to see your friends. There’s something weirdly grown up about making time to do your food shop and go for a walk. Why did nobody prepare us for the sheer amount of life admin we have to do as we’re on the verge of becoming real adults?

Taking control of your appointments

It’s all well and good saying you’d head on down to Brownlow Health to get that freshers’ flu checked out, but why is booking an appointment so terrifying and awkward? I’d rather pluck my own eyebrows than call a salon to do it for me, and I still hesitate before making any kind of doctors appointment.

You don’t get taught how to deal with doctors, dentists and hairdressers before uni, and nothing feels more adult-like than actually making a phone call to someone that isn’t your parents or your hometown best friend. Nobody’s there to feed you when you’re feeling under the weather – we still need emotional support as students, thank you.

Mastering the art of cooking your own meals

Being able to cook a meal that isn’t just pasta with cheese? Peak adulthood. Food shopping without blowing your entire budget on snacks? Even better. Learning to actually meal plan and budget for groceries is a game changer, and your bank account will thank you. However, the freedom to eat what you want, when you want, is equally as rewarding.

Cutting out toxic friendships and relationships

At some point, you realise keeping negative people in your life is just not worth it anymore. University is great for this because you can easily cut ties with people – no more being stuck in toxic friendships just because you’re forced to be around them. Same goes for relationships. Why waste your time on someone who doesn’t treat you right? I’ve heard enough nightmare stories to know that life feels lighter without it. Honestly, taking care of yourself feels way more rewarding. But hey, good luck to those who are making it work. It’s a real adult moment when you realise you deserve peace, not stress.

Feeling old when you’re ready to leave a club by midnight

I honestly don’t know how I used to survive from 9am to 5am. Fusion is probably missing the sight of me begging for the night to carry on, but it’s probably for the better. These days, we find ourselves feeling sleepy by 11pm and heading home by 1am at the latest. There’s nothing wrong with entering your grandma era, especially as a second or third year.

Being confused by freshers

The peak of feeling old as a student is the moment you see a group of freshers in any social situation. The moment you take note of their unstoppable energy, undamaged livers and general lease for life is when you realise you’re slowly maturing into adulthood – whether you like it or not. Going all out as a silly little first year is probably the most exciting time of your life, and reminiscing upon the hours spent in The Raz queue makes you feel like you’re light years older than everyone else.

Growing up at uni happens in the most unexpected ways, but these little moments remind us that we’re kind of getting our lives together – one night in at a time. Now go and get that hot water bottle and stick the telly on, you deserve it.