You have an assignment to do? Don’t worry, here are a list of reasons to be grateful.

1. You have no (real) responsibilities

Want to get drunk on a Monday night? Off you go. Yes, you may have bills to pay and exams coming up. The constant flow of money going out of your bank account is something you definitely won’t miss.

Aside from this, for many students the biggest concern is what the next meal will consist of and your next lecture. Fast forward twenty years and you’re supporting four children, whilst working and trying to finally enter the property market.

In terms of responsibilities you will probably look back on uni as one of the most carefree times of your life. (Granted there are final year exams and dissertations, but I’m second year and am refusing to let that enter my consciousness.)

2. Friends

If there were a hypothetical place designed purely for meeting people and making friends, I’m fairly certain it would be an awful lot like first year halls.

Halls would probably be closely followed by a lot of student areas in cities. There is even a whole week designated to meeting people and having a boogie.

Especially in first year, you are set work to keep you minimally busy, and for most, the results don’t count provided you attend a small amount of uni and pass.

3. Learning

Seems like an obvious one but I often take lectures for granted because they are ‘compulsory’.

There’s a reason people choose to read history books but that’s hard to remember when your deadline is approaching and you’re thinking ‘f*ck you, Karl Marx’.

In life being really good at talking (as opposed to/in addition to being really good at getting hammered) will come in very handy. The latter can be important, but is nothing if you meet for lunch with the person you had a forty five minute conversation with in Chicken Hut, and you come to the sad conclusion that you have nothing interesting to talk about.

4. Getting drunk

I know I just downplayed it but it’s fun right? I defy any non-teetotal human to tell me they aren’t a little jealous of the first years who spend 4-7 days of the week either hungover or drunk.

Some superhuman twenty-somethings are able to take weekday drinking in their stride, before getting into the office at 8am. But oh, the pain. Make the most of your weeknight shenanigans while you can.

5. Sleeping in

The lie in: reserved for the working man only on Saturdays (often hit by a hangover upon waking) and Sundays (with Monday blues creeping up).

For vigilant students, the occasional weekday lie in is still an attainable dream. For less vigilant students, it is a daily reality.

6. Sleeping around (sorry)

Whilst I’m not encouraging you partake in this, if you’re ever going to do it, now is the time.

Your catchment is large and we all have that friend whose favourite activity is shameless, regular and surnameless passion.

7. Optimism

The world is your oyster and the phrase “I can’t see myself in an office” is a totally acceptable response to “where will you be in five years?”

I have been told to hold onto the unknown at least until January of third year.

8. The opportunity to take up hobbies

Join the war hammer society. I don’t want to, I hear you cry. But you know what I mean, if/once you are working nine ’till five (or longer for some), you’ll barely have the time or energy to go out for dinner, let alone paint the tip of the axe silver on an inch-tall plastic figurine.

This is my long winded and slightly obscure way of saying make the most of your free time. Probably not with war hammer.

9. Exercise

Yeah, not everyone’s idea of a fun free-time activity, but when you don’t have the time to do it, it becomes quite an attractive prospect. Plus, you can eat and drink more and not get (as) fat.

10. HOLIDAYS

Sixteen weeks holiday, all at once in the summer – the sunniest time of the year.

This is not even all the holiday most students get in a year. Oh no, we have around two weeks for Christmas and four weeks at Easter. This is approximately twenty two weeks out of a fifty two week year. Around five months.

Are you serious? I have five months to choose what I do with? Many jobs allow two weeks, which you have to request in advance. I’m not going to say any more on the matter.