A letter to my first-year self, written by Grace Dobson.
Current 2nd Year Student Midwife (Midwifery BSc) at UCLan
School President of Community Health & Midwifery 2021-22
Well done, you rascal. Be so proud of yourself. It’s never a smooth ride in life and you tackled those A Levels with everything you had. Even though it wasn’t like you imagined it would be, you secured a place at university and you’re about to have such a wild, spectacular ride.
Buckle up and bring every ounce and excitement you’ve got – including the too-big clothes horse and the laundry basket that won’t fit anywhere in your tiny room in halls. Bring it all and bring bags of it because it’s the only way to truly be a student. Bring your drive, your enthusiasm, your cast-iron liver, your confidence to say no, your alertness, your boundaries, your insatiable desire to learn and be a part of that Students’ Union Society you have zero previous prior skill or knowledge of.
Ask everyone’s names. Shake their hands awkwardly. Open your mind big and wide for incoming friendships that will make you cry – with both laughter and sadness. The whole spectrum of it is worth every ounce and every second of hard work and determination.
Study hard – harder than you ever thought you could – but also study smarter so you can enjoy your time away from the lecture theatres and library and seminar room. Feed off other people’s brilliant minds and help your own to grow. Think of where you want to be in ten years as a beacon and head towards it like a moth in the night. And don’t ever, ever, ever leave that deadline to the very last minute, you hear me?
