Sex, drugs and deadlines?

We're all beer-swilling, scene-causing, drug-taking party animals. So you would think if your only contact with students came through the teen dramas on TV. Though a minority of students may fit this description, I can’t help thinking it gives the rest of us an undeserved reputation.

Where I live in Sheffield, there’s been the occasional complaint from neighbours about rowdy students or the odd all-night party, but that’s about as controversial as it gets. Every time I go back home, my nan interrogates me about whether I eat properly, how much alcohol I drink and whether I’ve touched drugs, all thanks to what she’s seen on TV. I may have had the odd weekend where I’ve stayed up all night, but to hear my family, you’d think I partied harder than Lindsay Lohan.

While the students in Hollyoaks seem to spend most of their lives at the SU bar drinking and playing pool, without ever actually doing any studying, the reality is that any spare time we have is usually spent in a library, not propping up a bar. I do have one friend, who shall remain nameless, that goes out almost every night. She started uni two years ago. She dropped out of her first year, and is currently in the foundation year of another degree. But it is looking uncertain as to whether she’ll make it onto the first year of the course, with poor exam results, missed deadlines, below-standard work and a low attendance record. Maybe she’s not the academic kind. Or maybe it has more to do with her social life? My point is, it’s difficult to burn the candle at both ends and expect to get a decent degree. If, like the Hollyoaks students, you find yourself carrying your books more for decoration than for reading material, it may be time to consider why you’re actually at uni.

Then there’s the personal dramas. Uni is meant to be the best experience of your life. Many people take advantage of that to have as much fun as possible, and who can blame them? After all you’re young, free and have no commitments. And nobody wants to look back when they’re boring/married and think “I really wish I’d done that”. So I do know many people who’ve experimented with drugs, but I can honestly say that I’ve never come across anyone with a drug addiction in uni. In fact, though we’re famed for heroic binge drinking efforts, I can’t say I know anyone with a drink problem either (except maybe on a Friday night when the 2-4-1 offers are on). Eating disorders are the same story; I’m not saying that these don’t exist, but if you believe everything you see on the telly, you’d think all students were laden with such issues.

The only time these programmes bear any sort of resemblance to real life is in regard to relationships; one night stands are commonplace and nobody in my house bats an eyelid when a stranger joins us for breakfast. After all, we probably won’t see them again so why bother with pleasantries? Cheating happens. So do arguments and break-ups. Partners come and go, as do friends. I’ve been fortunate enough to retain a solid group of friends I’ve known for years, and I’ve made some brilliant ones since I’ve been at uni too, but everyone has friendships that fall apart or people who drift away. Uni is an amazing opportunity to get to know new people who you maybe wouldn’t ordinarily have mixed with at school. There’s been petty squabbling, bitching and jealousy, but also some really good times as well. Friendships grow and change along with people, but often not as dramatically as they do on TV.