10 University of Liverpool things that make you feel like a proper functioning adult

Adulthood looms and I am not happy about it one bit

3 months ago

Responsibility, independence and common sense. Being at uni is all about making memories and having fun – and getting a degree of course. But once the novelty of Freshers’ Week wears off and the cold, damp days roll around, the glamour sort of wears off a bit and you’re left with a sink full of washing up and a room covered with dirty clothes. Circuit Laundry becomes your new best pal and you start turning down nights out because you need to start taking budgeting seriously. The downsides of being independent soon hit you like a bus. Here are 10 moments at Liverpool University where feelings of adulthood begin to creep in…

1. Circuit Laundry

Walking into that laundry room with a bag of dirty clothes, a few Fairy washing pods and a new sense of adulthood. A group trip to do some laundry I feel is one of the defining moments of feeling like an adult at university. I mean – trying to figure out the Circuit app for the first time added at least five years to my age it was that complicated. This feeling of adulting is only heightened as you get back to your room, fold up your clothes and tidily put them away – maybe even iron a few items. Well…that might be a bit ambitious.

2. Budgeting

Allocating your spending per week is one of the biggest tastes of adulthood at university. So is having to be realistic with money. Can I afford a £7 post night out kebab from Harpers Pizza? Not if I want to sustain a coffee every time I enter campus. Being sensible about spending and working out where my money is going makes me feel like an accountant myself. I’ll be doing tax returns next.

3. Spring cleaning the flat

It’s the point of the week where you realise that dish has been sat there for three days now, there is dust and fluff all over the carpet and the counters are stained with food. So out comes Henry the Hoover, disinfectant wipes and some rubber gloves. Cleaning the kitchen space provides a strong sense of adult responsibility. No parent is going to do it for you!

4. Having a glass of wine with dinner

Cracking open a bottle of Blossom Hill ( Or any other cheap wine alternative) whilst making dinner ages me quite intensely. I feel like I should wake up the next morning and read the newspaper with a cup of tea too.

5. Writing a shopping list

There is something very adult-like about writing “bread” and “tea-bags” on a shopping list before the weekly Aldi shop. Planning a shopping list feels very responsible and organised in a student life where those two adjectives very rarely exist.

6. Signing up to a GP

Perhaps the first taste of adulthood. Amongst the excitement and partying of Freshers’ Week, I’m sure we all got that message from a parent or guardian reminding us to sign up to a GP. Filling in that online form was one of the first moments students realise they have to grow up and do adult things despite being a baby fresher. It is also when you realise your “units of alcohol per week” has perhaps gotten extreme.

7. Cooking the first flat roast

You cook a flat roast dinner and all of a sudden feel like a parent feeding a family. The first Christmas dinner where all hands are on deck, cooking a substantial meal certainly differs from the usual pot noodles and box pizzas. Flat Christmas as a whole offers a taste of adulthood too – decorating the flat how you want, laying the table rather than eating on the sofa and more.

8. Downloading all the discount apps

There is nothing that makes you feel like an adult more than getting a Tesco Clubcard, and actually feeling excited to scan it at the self checkout. Or, using your free drink from Costa after what feels like forever collecting beans via the QR code. These apps offer little slices of joy whilst also making you feel like a boring adult. It’s a double edged sword.

9. Attending every timetabled lecture/seminar

Whilst I cannot confidently say I have attended every lecture or seminar timetabled in a week…when I go to six out of seven of them I feel like a champion: The world is my oyster. Waking up and getting yourself ready to attend early lectures or staying on campus and working in between inconveniently scheduled seminars can make you feel responsible and well accomplished. For once, it feels like academia is actually prioritised at uni.

10. Having an errands day

Walking down Smithdown to return a package, grabbing a parcel and signing your name at reception, grabbing some washing up liquid from Tesco because the flat has run out…all these things make you feel like a functioning adult getting their life together. Maybe, just maybe, you even empty your bedroom bin to stop it overflowing even more. Productivity = adulthood.