Things to expect when going to university:

-       Expect to make new friends and allow yourself to be open to new friendships; you’ll never make new friendships if you act as if your ‘friend tank’ is full. You can never have too many friends, they might just come in handy when you need them most!

-       Expect to be poor, prepare for life in the poor world. Learn to budget and prioritise your money and don’t be scared of your student loan, it’s an investment into your future.

-       Expect to gain weight easier.  With all the sitting around on your butt all day staring at a laptop screen and rewarding yourself with chocolate when you finish your essay, it should not come as a surprise that yes, you can gain weight at university.

-       Expect challenges and hurdles, university is actually a big step up from high school and you have to work much harder to get the marks you deserve.

-       Expect to feel lonely sometimes. It’s crazy that even though you could be surrounded by thousands of other University students just like you, you can feel like you’re alone amongst huge crowds. Don’t dwell in your loneliness, rise above it and conquer any insecurities that may arise, you will be better off and will be more prepared for life after university, yes, it does exist.

-       Expect your integrity to be challenged. There will be plenty other people out there that you will come across who were raised with different values and beliefs to you. Don’t try to fit in with other people, be yourself, and stand by who you were raised to be. Be true to yourself, know who you are and stand up for yourself.

-       Expect to be put outside of your comfort zone. Anybody who ever did something amazing started out just a little afraid. Don’t crumble under the pressures of a new environment or new people; embrace this time of your life!

-       Expect to have heaps of new adventures! If we don’t have expectations for great things, then great things won’t happen! So, expect for fun times and take hold of all opportunities for Kodak moments, memories to be made, and smiles to be shared. 

Be expectant, and be ready. University is a rollercoaster, but one of the best kinds! 

There are moments in our lives we let pass us by and fail to savour and enjoy. Moments can become memories. They can take the form of objects or gifts, like the locket necklace your first love gave you. the sound of the song that changed your world, the taste of a certain meal that reminds you of that family member who passed away. They’re all moments in our lives that somehow we’ve placed certain importance on and that dwell in our book, telling the story of our lives, chapters just waiting to be rediscovered, stories that are dying to be told. 

Not every moment in our history has the right to be elevated to the role of a memory. Sure, each moment has importance; sure, each moment has a certain emotion; but what really matters is the value of that moment. A moment is only a very brief period of time; it commands neither a platform for elevation, nor a reason for particular emphasis. Therefore, it is up to us, as to which moments we decide to promote to the high position of a memory, and which moments we can just leave as they are, periods of time. 

Let us not let life pass us by without regard to the moments that deserve to become memories. Moments we take for granted, moments which are fleeting, which we can never have again. Lets write these memories down in our stories, to be retold again, to be rediscovered accidentally, to be triggered by the smell of the Red Door perfume your Grandmother wore, or the taste of the party animal biscuits you ate as a child. Don’t go through life without looking for those moments to treasure and savour, to roll around slowly on your tongue like the last piece of chocolate. After all, at the end of our lives it’s only the memories of a life treasured to the last bite that will matter, not the amount of money saved in our bank accounts or the number of tea cups you have in your china cupboard. Moments are fleeting, but memories last for as long as a lifetime.