An ode to Glasgow Uni and graduating

Final year students… Are you ready to leave Glasgow University?

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Looking back at the last four years, it is clear that the Glasgow uni experience really does change your life.

One minute you are moving into halls and coming across all these new people. You are meeting people in first year that unknowingly become your best friends. You go to your first HIVE night in Freshers’ Week and get the drunkest that you have ever been before in your life. Calling your parents to ask them how to make cheese on toast because you can’t figure it out. All of a sudden first year ends in a flash. You move in with friends or do you find completely new people to live with?

Your first year flatmates really are one of a kind

Then comes 2nd year. You sorta know what you’re doing. A bit more experience. You apply to be a freshers helper because you literally cannot live without going to other freshers events. You’re in your own flat with friends, first time paying big people bills (with the help of your crappy student job cause your student loan doesn’t even cover it). Your grades are mediocre but it’s okay “Ds get degrees” and “second year doesn’t count” they tell you. Maybe you get into a relationship because you’ve known someone for a while now and you’ve got the hang of uni. Or maybe you stay single and continue to ruin your life every week in HIVE/Sanc/Bamboo/Garage. The end of second year comes quicker than you can say hangy Fridays. Is your relationship still intact? Do you and your flatmates keep the flat on?

In 2nd year you know Glasgow a bit better and all the pretty spots to escape from coursework

Third year. The semi-final of your degree. The year that counts 25 percent towards your final year. “No more Ds this year, no more HIVE Thursday’s, I’ll get my head down” you try to tell yourself. It’s a different type of pressure that first assignment. You want to prove to yourself that “you really can do this!” as you make your 5th cup of coffee. You’ll be convinced by coursemates and friends to go on the odd night out and somehow you still manage. Though maybe you don’t because third year is a massive jump. But that’s okay as your amazing bunch of friends really are your support bubble and they will be the ones that remain your lifelong friends.

The thought of Beer Bar after lectures is still your favourite guilty pleasure as you play some classic Beer Bar anthems and slap the roof with your friends, inevitably going home with that hockey girl/rugby boy that you know you really shouldn’t. Third year ends – for this years graduates we ended ours in lockdown. Strange and odd – where’s the big HIVE night out before summer? Oh well, we have fourth year to catch up.

Here comes fourth year, the summer after a global pandemic. You move back in. Maybe you stay with the same flatmates, maybe not. However, no matter what, this was the big year of dissertations and making yourself employable. You make sure more than ever that you keep in touch with friends because you can’t see them as much. You see people break rules whilst you’re on the edge trying to complete deadlines and dissertations.

They do say you make lifelong friends

You had to find other ways of destressing from dissertation work

Now we’re nearing the end of our degree, covid is settling but we still don’t get a graduation. After growing up from being the first year that didn’t really know how to cook, you’re finishing your undergrad. No matter who you are, everyone has been through some sort of life altering journey at uni. We’re sure many of you are reflecting right now. Thinking back to those fun nights of jumping on bins and slapping the roof of the bus from Murano to Viper (RIP). Maybe getting with that person at Halloween and having the shock of your life when there’s fake blood everywhere. Maybe that relationship you had is still going, maybe it ended and you had your first heartbreak? Maybe you got involved with someone you knew you shouldn’t have but I bet you’ve learnt a lot from that? Maybe you lost friends at uni but I bet you’re leaving with people you know that will be in your life forever. That much about every fourth year experience, whether it was 20 years ago to today, is the same. We’ve just had that little extra spice of a global pandemic for the last part.

Now you’re looking into the horizon at your future knowing that your experiences have shaped you into the person you are now

So many of us will say goodbye to Glasgow University, goodbye to the library that we spent (should have spent) half of our degree in, goodbye to thinking wearing GUSA kit is a replacement for a personality and goodbye to our gorgeous campus we called ours. But as we say goodbye we hold onto the amazing memories we have made. We hold onto the experiences that have happened. Though most importantly we don’t regret a thing.  Uni has shaped us into the people that we now are.