A Return to Your University Self

Last year, I took a year out to do an industry placement, a year in which I had many musings. Thoughts such as, ‘How great this will look on my CV!’ ‘Is this really the field I want to enter after University?’ ‘I wonder if I’m doing a good enough job right now.’ 

As my placement drew to a close, one particular thought stuck in my mind: ‘I hope I’ll be able to readjust to University life.’ Being on placement and having a 9-5 working life was incredibly insightful; I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, it meant that when it came to an end, I was suddenly hyper-aware that I had been out of education for a whole year and readjusting to the academic world may not be as seamless as I might have hoped. 

For me, the summer before returning to University was, in many ways, a return to myself – a return that wasn’t all that comfortable. I was ecstatic to come back to Leeds, where all my friends were; a resurgence of spending my days in the Union, catching up on seminar readings. I was excited to return to having more control over my daily workload – I wasn’t a fan of the rigid structure of the 9-5 working day. All this excitement was only to be met with the uncomfortable feeling of not being prepared to start University again. The academic part of my brain was under-stimulated and I hadn’t done a scholarly reading in over a year now. I had to find a way to revive that part of myself. 

Fast forward to now, and I’m glad to say I feel almost entirely acclimated to the academic lifestyle again. But it didn’t come without some conscious effort to remake myself into the student I had once loved being. If you’re in a similar situation, here are some tips that helped make that transition from the working world much smoother. 

1. Ease yourself back into learning

It may be that your placement doesn’t incorporate all aspects of your degree – mine certainly didn’t. It had been a while since I had engaged with any academic readings or research related to my course. That part of my mind was quite blunt; I felt a little rusty engaging critically with texts. Try taking bite-sized concepts from your course and reading up on them. Refamiliarising yourself with some of your favourite concepts will remind you why you enjoy your degree and refresh your knowledge. 

2. Use calendars to your advantage 

Adjusting back to University may mean that your days pan out very differently from how they were on placement. You can choose to study for only 1 hour today and spend 5 hours in the Union tomorrow. Control over what you do with your days is empowering but requires some self-discipline, which may not come naturally with all this newfound freedom you’ve just returned to. You may benefit from putting any University-related tasks in a calendar. Once the task is in a place other than your brain, it becomes more tangible and can make you aware of its importance and will hopefully encourage you to get to it! 

3. Revisit your favourite study hotspots!

Something that helped me get back in touch with my student side was revisiting all the places that made me fall in love with Leeds in my pre-placement years. Going back to some of my favourite cafes and libraries that I’ve studied in or having lunch in Old Bar and Terrace reminded me of how much I’d missed spending time in these places, hence providing motivation to throw myself back into student life. 

University is very different from the working world, so it’s normal to feel a little out of place upon returning. The main thing to remember is that the person you were when you were in University hasn’t disappeared entirely – it’s just a piece of yourself you need to tap back into. Take time, and be gentle with yourself – you’ll be back in the flow of things in no time.