5 Things I Wish I Knew Before My 3rd Year

With the looming pressure of deadlines and that unavoidable dissertation stress, it’s all starting to feel a bit surreal and totally different from my early university years. As an English and Creative Writing student, I’m used to drafting, editing, and deleting, but university is one story you can’t really rewrite - you just have to keep turning the page!

Looking back at my clueless first and second year selves, I definitely have some notes. If you’re just heading into your second semester as a fresher, or starting to feel the pressure of second year, here’s the “real talk” advice I wish someone had given me back then.

1. First Years: Treat this as your "Rough Draft"

In English and Creative Writing, the first draft is just about getting words on the page. It doesn’t have to be perfect yet, it just has to exist.

• The stakes are lower than you think: Yes, obviously pass your modules and try to do the best you can! But the second semester of your first year might also be a pretty good time to join that random society you’ve been considering and start to engage with other student communities. I didn’t really do this and now I feel like I missed out, so don’t make the same mistakes I did!

• Explore beyond the campus: Don’t just stick to the Union. Go find the best coffee in the Corn Exchange. Walk the canal. Leeds is your campus now, not just the buildings with the university logo on them. Bring friends and family along over the Christmas period - taking breaks is just as important as cracking on.

2. Second Years: The Plot Thickens (But Don't Panic!)

Second year is like the "Rising Action." The grades really count, and the reading list suddenly looks much longer than before!

• Office hours are not scary: I wasted so much time staring at a blank page because I was too intimidated (and maybe a bit too prideful) to talk to my lecturers. They want to talk to you about your ideas. It makes the writing process 100% less lonely. Remember, they’re here to help you.

• Start your dissertation gently: You don't need to write your dissertation yet (unless you feel ready, but no pressure). It’s worth keeping notes on your phone of topics that strike your interest, though. That note will save your life next year, and lecturers often expect you to have a somewhat cohesive project plan by the end of the academic year.

3. Read for Pleasure (Yes, really!)

As an English student, I’ve often had brief periods where I stop reading for fun because I spend all day analysing texts and I end up in a slump. Don't lose the magic! If you’re like me and get burnt out from Victorian Literature or long-winded analytical texts, go to the library and grab yourself a graphic novel or a magazine. Dial it back a notch. Remind yourself why you fell in love with words in the first place.

4. Find Your "Third Space"

You have your bedroom, sure, and you have the lecture hall. But you need a third place. For me, it became the Humanities Hub on the second floor of the Portland Building (for focus) and Gaia Cafe (for emotional support snacking and good vibes), or even just the local Starbucks. Find a spot that feels like yours. It’ll help anchor you when classes start to get chaotic!

5. It Goes Faster Than You Think

It probably sounds like a cliché, but I remember being a nervous first-year, sitting in the Rose Bowl building for my first ever lecture like it was only ten minutes ago. Don’t wish the semester away waiting for the summer. Say yes to that pub quiz with friends. Go to the gallery opening. Sit on Woodhouse Moor the second the sun starts peeking through the clouds. Work hard, but above all, have a good time!