Quirkbag Collection #55 – 16.08.26
The long-awaited “D-Day” finally came. University classes began this week. What supposedly seemed like “an eternity” of freedom (the last 8 months) now feels like a flash of a second. The blog started as a means of finding myself, who I want to be and who I can be. While I wish there was a clear answer that I can neatly wrap up with a bowtie, life’s answers are never that way.
Reality Hits Like Cold Water At 5am
You know that feeling when something feels distant, far in the future, until it suddenly hits? Right as reality sinks in, your mind just gets defibrillated. If you have been doused with cold water in the wee hours, it feels almost the same. You cannot believe everything that just happened. Or, in my case, everything in the 8 months that is now over.
I still remember the first day of freedom after leaving the army. It was strange being a civilian again, not having the same weight on my shoulders. Now, it is incredibly strange being a student again, after 2.5 years.
Starting university does not feel real. It feels like a myth, some lore spread through word-of-mouth. There is a surreal atmosphere to being in “that phase of life”. It just sort of happens, and then you only realise it when the bucket of cold water hits you.
That bucket has landed. I am now in that phase of life.
University Life – Adjustments Are Required
I major in Industrial and Systems Engineering – a niche few have heard of and even fewer who truly understand it (that excludes me, the undergraduate actually taking the degree). I also have campus accommodation, which makes heading to classes more convenient.
For those who have lived independently from their home (mainly the guys who served NS), living on campus feels oddly familiar, albeit being more comfortable. The rest that have not may experience some “home-sickness”, a small issue that shall be eclipsed by the academic and non-academic tasks and activities.
Besides a whole new system through which lessons are scheduled and timetables created, the biggest consideration to be had is transport. Going to different locations on different days (which changes based on even/odd weeks) will become a new headache. Unlike secondary school or JC, teachers no longer enter your class. Everyone moves around like a massive game of musical chairs – not particularly fun under the hot sun. Once you have planned your commutes, you will then need to consider meals – to eat, to skip, to cook, to buy. No one is giving you reminders on that.
Adjustments to the new way of life is required, not to mention for studying. However, I would not recommend taking advice from a 1-week old freshman on how to study for university courses. You have been spared from reading that would-be nonsense.
On Being A Freshman at NUS
Last week I woke up at 6.30am when on campus, partly due to my low-quality sleep. I prepared to have breakfast early, so that I can head to the gym earlier in the day before working on the academic burdens.
Heading into university can feel like taking a step onto the moon. It’s uncharted territory, and as always, filled with whispered rumours and myths. Most of them are twisted recounts, the rest are fiction. University is definitely complicated, a maze of opportunities and mirrors. But perhaps what is not mentioned enough in those romanticised content is how confusing and uncertain things can get.
Your emotions are tied to the level of your understanding of the university system, and it can be a roller coaster. Not knowing how to navigate the system and the 4 years is incredibly frustrating. Attend orientation camps for your ease of transition. Being a clueless freshman is painful enough, isolating yourself adds fuel to the fire.
Being a freshman, and I do suggest reading this with a pinch of salt, is the kind of scary that you will reminisce about when you are a senior facing graduation. The world of university is probably far less scary to a freshman than the real working world is to the graduate. (I don’t doubt there shall be a post on this in 4 years should I continue with this blog.)
Surely, this is the time to explore and figure out the kind of university life you want. There is no better time to try than as a freshman, and I suppose no better time than now. As the last real checkpoint before the “real” working world, the opportunity to live and explore is about as precious as one might imagine.
Is University All People Make It Out To Be?
Romanticising university life is a tradition upheld by the surge of well-edited YouTube vlogs. Is it real? Yes, they are, but only for them. Will your experience be more boring? Yes, but only if you compare it to their lives.
Everyone’s university life is different, even those taking the same degree or major. One of the biggest differences between university and the rest of formal education is the autonomy of creating your own experience. Opportunities and events are bombarded at you, waiting for you to pick. Everyone’s life looks different, and your choices shape the university experience. It may not be as glamorous (depending on which university) as they romanticised, because you are likely not a YouTube content creator.
I wish university life guaranteed romanticised fun and adventure. Life would be easier sitting through a programmed experience. But so much of it is shaped by our choices. More accurately, university life is the platform for that fun and adventure.
Looking Back; Looking Forward
We look back to our younger school days, pining over the “simpler” life. But maybe we need a reminder that we do have the “simpler” life today compared to 5 years from now. Despite the fear that things are overwhelming, that I might crumble under the chaos, a small part of me knows that this is the best of schooling life; one to be lived to the fullest.
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Hi! I’m Zac, the guy behind this serendipitous, quirky blog. I’m currently on a quest to find out more about myself before Uni begins – who I am and what life has to offer. This blog is my little space where I step out of my comfort zone to share my thoughts and life experiences. I hope you enjoy reading the weekly posts. Share them if you like, or not.
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