We're only young once: a summary of my third year of uni

Just like that, I've made it to my last summer of university.

I've made many attempts to look back on my Junior year in NTU, and each time I come away with a different lesson. I guess I can only attribute this to the amount of experiences I exposed myself to throughout the entire year.

Year 3 started out with me moving into Tamarind Hall. Finally got a single room to myself, and was so thankful for an amazing view out of my window. Schoolwork was fine, although I promised myself it will be the first and last time taking four history mods in a sem (please don't do this kids). I started a new part time job as a content writer servicing financial consultants, and it gave me the opportunity to learn a ton about personal finance.

The first sem was quite a blur, but I do remember enjoying meals and suppers with my friends, taking on a new role in my faculty's club (and making so many friends there), going for my first acting audition and trying out NTU's swimming pool for the first time. And I absolutely remember feeling quite bored of living alone at the end of 2021, so I moved out when the opportunity came along.

With the second sem, I luckily (or not) had only two days of lessons, so I commuted by the heartland shuttle bus each morning I had to be in school. I fondly remember those bus rides to be my 'me' time; it was lovely to be able to plug into a podcast, gaze at the scenery and enjoy the westward commute. It's just a bus ride, but it's a simple joy that allowed me to start my day on such a peaceful note.

Besides my usual commitments from the first sem, I had now an acting project plus a second part time job as a graphic designer. Honestly they kind of just came along and so I took them up, cos I didn't really have a good reason to say 'no'. Thankfully, they are quite manageable, and the people who I work with are the sweetest.

So, both sems flew by way faster than Year 1 and 2 did. People have told me the number of commitments I took up is crazy, and yeah perhaps they are right. It's a miracle I did not burn out. Honestly, I didn't have time to feel tired. Plus the fact that I'm the kind of person who loves filing my schedule up, I made sure to savour every waking day.

Anyway, I came into Year 3 knowing that I wanted to do as many things as possible, grab any opportunity that would come my way, and live life to the fullest. And I'm glad to say that my life now is so vibrant and full of colour, because of all these little nuggets of experiences that converge together to make me, me. Because I gave people a chance, and I gave myself a chance to try new things and create moments that I can look back on with a big bright smile on my face.

Sounds cringey, but I really believe that our time a student should really be the best of our lives. If we drag ourselves to write another paper, turn up for another lecture and go for another CCA meeting, what's the point? We're only young once. I can bet that 50 years down the road we won't remember the time spent researching for our essays, but we'll remember the impromptu suppers and many other events we planned together in university.

Motivation doesn't automatically find us— we have to go out and hunt for it. For some, you'l find it quickly, for others you'll take a while. But as long as you take the first step out of your own sluggardness, you'll be one step closer to catching that dream.

Cheers to an exciting summer ahead 🥂