Abi shares advice on growing and thriving at uni...

As we have recently began a new academic year, everybody can take advantage of this time to work on themselves alongside their studies. Having now started my third year; although it hasn’t always been easy, I have grown in many ways since arriving in Liverpool. Want a fresh start or to build your confidence? Here are some tips for using university for self-growth.

1.      Be Honest With Yourself

It can feel overwhelming thinking about ‘self-improvement’. It is a vast topic and pretty unique to an individual. This can make it difficult for people to put their thoughts into actions to change habits they don’t like. One way to start is to identify your strengths and weaknesses in the area where you would like to improve.

Example: I want to learn to cook healthier food

Strengths: I have the motivation to be more mindful of what I eat and I have flatmates who also want to learn to cook too! 

Weaknesses: I struggle to motivate myself to cook after a day at uni or I'm not organised enough to buy ingredients I need

From analysing your strengths and weaknesses, you find out where you need to work on in situations where you struggle. Maybe the next time you are on campus you choose to bring a pre-prepared healthy snack with you so, you won’t need to visit shops and spend extra money. Or, ask flatmates or friends if they want to try a new recipe with you? You don't need to try it alone! There are plenty of recipes and tips on Halls Life here!

An alternative tip is breaking down your daily life down into categories. These could be exercising, studying, being creative, working etc. Writing these down can be a visual representation of where your energy goes during the day. If all you do is study, one way you can grow as an is implementing a new category. An example of this could be learning a new language from a flatmate or joining the campus or Greenbank’s gym. Having different activities that use your brain and body in different ways can increase self-confidence in your abilities, help with time management skills and can make you more rounded as an individual.

2.      Get Involved

Building confidence can take time however, there are multiple ways to do this at university. Getting involved with something else alongside studying is a great way to meet and interact with new people, learn new skills, add to your cv. Whether that be joining a society, volunteering or taking on a new role for example, applying to become a Residential Adviser for your halls.

There are smaller tasks you can do to build your confidence and social skills. Setting achievable goals like offering your opinion in a seminar or, asking if your flatmates would like to eat dinner together enable you to come out of your comfort zone. It is also ok if your goal doesn’t work out for whatever reason, others will still feel happy that you have thought about them and want to include them.

3.     Set goals

Your goals can be as simple as getting on top of your laundry right through to trying a brand new activity at uni. List goals that are achievable and will help you feel that you're making the most of your time while living in halls and at university. Make a note of each time you achieve something, no matter how big it is, and by the end of the year you'll have key memories and achievements to look back on!

Student Minds is a hub for support for students at uni - they've got super useful tips on making the most of your time, setting achievable goals and looking after your wellbeing.

4.      Create Opportunities

There are numerous ways students can create opportunities for themselves in regard to their studies and future career. Taking the initiative to learn and experience beyond the lecture hall helps you in standing out to future employers, both from your experience and the demonstrated willingness to learn and put yourself out there.

These could include:

·       Visiting the careers studio to improve your CV

·       Attending careers fairs and chatting to employers

·       Creating a portfolio and sending it to companies around the city

·       Email companies and arranging a work experience placement over the holidays

Through creating opportunities for yourself, you can learn new skills which can help you in your later career. These include, how to handle rejection, time management, interpersonal communication and how to promote yourself.

Utilising these tips can help you to make any lifestyle changes, try new things and gain confidence whilst at university so, you can make the most out of your time in Liverpool.