Summer Sadness- Dealing with leaving Uni

 Now that the summer is officially over and all the baby faced freshers have moved into halls it has finally dawned on me. The life changing thought that every third year student has pushed to the back of the mind has finally reared it's ugly head. I'm in the real world.
 University life is so sheltered you are rarely confronted with any major incident that a quick phone call home or a few pints at the Union wouldn't solve. Ok, there are the stresses of having to turn up to lectures a few hours a week and the fact that probably for the first time in your life you actually have to sort out your own bills and cook your own food. Big whoop!!! When you finally finish Uni and you're staring down the barrel of the huge gun that is life you realise that any of the problems you may have suffered whilst studying are like a walk in the park compared to the complexities of running your whole life.
 I'm not ashamed to admit that when I left Uni and I got home, my family dumping me off at my brother's empty flat, the collection of friends I had gathered over years of socialising scattered in the wind, I was very emotional. Not one to hide my feelings normally, I shut the door to my family, sat on my bed and cried. That's right. I, Courtney Frazer-Bates, the six foot four gym enthusiast who has been seen in multiple clubs and bars boozing and dancing without a care in the world, cried. I'm sure many Graduates have done so upon leaving their old lives behind, facing the prospect of a nine-to-five job in a crappy office surrounded by stale old men in drab suits.
 In my case, as it may be for many out there, I had indulged myself heavily in the Uni lifestyle, most of my friends were made at Uni and I had neglected people from my hometown, eagerly anticipating my return whenever a break meant I was back home. So when I was dropped of and sat alone in my room, for the first time in four years I realised that I was alone. I could have picked up the phone and rang some of my friends to try and fill the gaping void that was in the pit of my stomach but I realised no matter how much mobile phone or laptop communication I involved myself in, those people I had come to rely so much on were not there anymore. Going from living with four of your closest friends to being virtually alone is a depressing feeling and it took me a long time to get over it. Couple that with the feeling of insecurity and lack of prospects that can come when you leave the structured education system and I was left feeling down in the dumps.
 To anyone out there who is feeling the same there is light at the end of the tunnel. The truth is you simply aren't going to have as much fun as you did at Uni, you can't party all night, sleep all day and repeat. The joys of a real world existence come from what you achieve. Personally, I have been working on my driving licence and searching for internships in the city to give myself something to strive for. The loving presence of my girlfriend always helps, knowing that someone is there for you no matter what is imperative to getting on when the tasks facing you seem so daunting. My advice to any graduates that have recently left Uni is to immerse yourself in everything around you, try new things, meet new people and grasp those opportunities that arise, you may not feel like anything will sustain your happiness but believe me it does get better. Just don't bottle it up, trust me. I went that route and it left me with a horrible feeling in my stomach and a sour taste in my mouth. Talk to those around you and tell them how you a re felling.
 When I broke down in front of my parents I was initially ashamed, thinking myself weak and pathetic but they got me through it and even managed to show me the prospects I had in front of me. I was a University graduate, I may never take the world by storm and my name may never be up in lights but with a degree I have still set myself up to succeed in the real world. All in all, I do still miss University. I miss 'smoking' with my friends and eating Domino;s Two-for-Tuesday. I miss Purple Wednesdays and Tiger Mondays but the simple truth is I have had my time. The same goes for anyone else who has recently graduated. A trip back to see your chums and a good night out full of nostalgic memories is fine but if you are searching for long term happiness you have to move one and look for new challenges. I will leave you with a simple idea. Life isn't that bad.