We asked students isolating with their families what they miss most about uni

It’s currently week six in UK lockdown and most unis have been closed since mid-March. We all moved to online lectures, the library/procrastination zone got closed, and we could not longer fritter away our money on over-priced lattes and uni food. As much as we moaned about our 9ams, it’s safe to say we miss uni and all the adventures that came along with it. Don’t lie to yourself, part of you is missing the assignment break-downs you had in the middle of the night with your mates, with visions of Turn It In interrupting your sleep.

The worst thing for most of us was having to leave our uni homes where eating cereal at every meal time and performing High School Musical songs whilst stood on the sofa at 2am was just part of every day life. No longer are we texting our house mates “you in?” or begging someone to walk to the shop with you because you’ve run out of bread and then forgetting what you were there for and buying a load of snacks instead. Not living with your mates is just pure shit, to be honest.

So, that being said, we asked uni students living back at home what they miss the most about uni.

‘I realised that to do uni work I need to be at uni with the whole lot that goes with it’

“Being home was great the first few days. It felt like a little vacation, but the deadlines were still there for us to meet. I started missing uni at the exact moment I tried starting to write my assignments. I realised that to do uni work I need to be at uni with the whole lot that goes with it: friends, pasta, night outs, hangovers, my waterpolo team. Being a university student is for me a whole experience. And I have found myself very upset for leaving all of it to come back home and pretend I am still able to produce academic work.”

Jasmin, Oxford Brookes

‘Not being judged for having dinner at 2am if I want to’

“I’m really missing more ‘normal’ things like my independence, nights out and a routine but the more obscure things I miss include eating microwave meals and Super Noodles at any time of day (although I appreciate the nutrition of home cooking), being able to walk everywhere and not take a car or public transport, playing music on my speaker at any volume at any time, not being judged for having dinner at 2am if I want to, and midnight cheese toasties, wine and a cry with my housemates!”

Jess, York St John

‘I miss the routine of being at uni’

“I miss the routine of being at uni. I miss meeting my friends before lectures and catching up with them, and then, I never thought I’d say this, but actually having lectures! It makes me feel slightly guilty for complaining about lectures when we had them because I’m in my last year at Brookes so now I know I’ll never have one again. I miss the atmosphere of being a student as well – not just the social aspect but just being in a safe and friendly environment and feeling part of a community. It’s really upsetting that I’ll potentially never see my lecturers and course mates again, and that we didn’t get to say goodbye. I’ve had a great three years at Brookes, so it’s really sad to have to say goodbye so prematurely.”

Emily, Oxford Brookes

‘Nothing will be pre drink antics’

“The thing I miss most about uni are the nights out. Nothing will beat pre drink antics then rushing to get into Ubers last minute.”

Emer, Birmingham

‘Doing my walk of shames blind because I took my contacts out’

“Mine definitely has to be doing my walk of shames blind after forgetting to take spare pair of contacts with me, going via Sainsbury’s, picking up brekkie and then discussing the nights antics.”

Ciara, Bath

‘I miss the circus of losing your friends in the club’

“The thing I miss the most about uni is the social aspect. I miss getting all glammed up to dance in a club for a couple of hours before heading home in an overpriced Uber. I miss the circus of losing your friends in the club to then make new ones in the toilets. The tactile things you’ve learn’t to prolong your night out no matter how much you’ve had to drink. I miss the dancing with people you hardly know and connecting over a song everyone loves.”

Megan, Nottingham Trent

‘I miss being so skint’

“I miss taking coffee breaks in the library every hour and how I use to hog a seat next to me with my bag and then complain about people who do exactly that…I miss watching Netflix series in sync with my housemates in the living room and getting triggered if someone watched an ep without the others…I miss being so skint that I can text my parents asking for money but now I have to ask in person.”

Georgia, Sussex

‘I want to go back to the chaos of living with four boys’

“I miss my flatmates! I lived in a flat with four boys so the absolute chaos that took place was crazy. It was gross at times but some of the best memories were made with them…we had a new donut shop open in Lincoln so me and my flatmates would always be who bought them for the flat, best donuts ever.”

Katelyn, Lincoln

‘I actually never thought I’d miss feeling absolutely vile’

“I miss the knowing hugs and ice cream your housemates give you because only they can relate to how up and down uni life can be…and then of course I miss getting shit faced with them. All jokes aside I actually never thought I’d miss feeling absolutely vile and dead after waking up from a big one and then eating like plain bread for breakfast because you cba, but alas here we are.”

Lizzy, Leeds

‘Helping my housemates when they have a meltdown’

“I miss sitting in bed after a night out that went wrong and trying to figure out what happened, and helping housemates when they have a meltdown while getting ready like ‘I can’t get my lashes on’ or ‘my hair won’t curl’.”

Sanj, Southampton

‘I miss how you all hate yourselves but you hate yourselves together’

“Just the idea of being physically together with other people and sharing something shit, like a hangover. You all hate yourselves, but you hate yourselves together, and you know you only feel so bad because you had a really good night. Ooh and picking outfits for going out too, like that whole process of ‘what are you wearing?’ ‘Are you gonna bother fake tanning’.”

Zara, Durham

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