You’re a fresher? You’re going to love uni!” You probably heard this a lot when you told former students and graduates that you were heading to university for the first time. Considering their reaction, it’s easy to see why your freshers year was going to be one of the best times of your life. From the fact that your grades don’t count towards your degree to having the freedom to drink and eat what you want, it’s pretty epic. However, if you’re a bit down in the dumps because your first year at uni is coming to an end and you think the fun is over, you’re sadly mistaken. Yes, things change and the goalposts move, yet that doesn’t mean that life is about to get worse. If anything, it makes the experience more enjoyable. You will suddenly be working towards the end goal of graduating! The picture of you holding your degree in your cap and gown (check out these for inspiration https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/catalog/1311279/Penn-State-University/col_greg/Graduation-Caps-and-Gowns/) is getting closer - and that's so exciting! If you’re still unsure, just check out these four reasons why university gets better in the second and third years. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Halls are incredible, for the first six months. After half a year, you start to get bored with the constant noise and the awkward interactions in the hallway with people you see every day but never talk with. On-campus accommodation flatters to deceive, unlike renting a flat or a house with your friends. For starters, you get more than a room with a mirror, sink, and partial view of the grounds. Student accommodation means that you can chill in your bedroom, living room, or garden. You can cook properly without having to bodge anything or rely on pasta (even if you don’t, you have the option!). You can invite your mates around and entertain. A house comes with different challenges, but there are character-building in the long-term. You’ll learn to clean and pay bills, for example, which are excellent ways to improve your life skills. Okay, you won’t be on the property ladder, yet you receive all the same benefits!

Please wait before you throw your laptop or tablet at the wall in disgust! There's a method to this madness! One of the brilliant things about uni life as a fresher is that you can drink all the time without consequence. Of course, like everything else that you do to excess, it begins to feel tired and played out after a while. While there are fewer nights out in the second and third years because you have to try harder to attend classes and meet deadlines, you’ll enjoy the parties that you do go to more than ever. Plus, it’s not as if you’ll hardly hit the dance floor - you’ll still get out a couple of times a week. It just won’t be every night. A positive side-effect of this is that you’ll save money, too. Rather than grovelling to your parents after Christmas for a cash injection, you should find that your resources go further.

It’s hard to take the course seriously at the start. After all, everybody understands that the marks don’t count, so it’s almost as if the university is giving you free rein to slack off for a year and get used to the lifestyle. However, you picked the material for a reason - you find it interesting and want to learn more. As the course progresses and you take on bigger, more time-consuming projects, you’ll delve into the topic and discover things that you never imagined possible. Yes, a ten-thousand-word thesis is a struggle, but the sense of achievement once you hand it in is hard to describe. Plus, a research project as great and thorough as your dissertation is an excellent addition to your CV that you’ll need to secure graduate jobs.

When you hit your third year, you begin to think about life after uni. It’s not even worth thinking about for most people. Of course, the fact that you can’t stand the thought of leaving further education and entering the “real” world is a sign. It’s a sign that you love everything about university life. It’s hard to appreciate what the past couple of years mean to you since you haven’t had time to sit back and analyse your thoughts. When it happens, you’ll realise that you’ve developed as a person and an academic. You’ll recognise that you’ve got friends for life that you wouldn’t have met without the opportunity. You’ll be scared, yet you’ll cherish every memory as you’ll know that the period of your life is over, and it was incredible!