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It wouldn\u2019t have come as such a surprise if I hated studying.<\/p>\n
But I loved school. And from everything I was told, university was supposed to be even more fun: I\u2019d get to study the subjects I loved and drop those I didn\u2019t, go to cool parties and maybe even meet my soulmate.<\/p>\n
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It might take a few years, but you\u2019ll meet great people at university. Millie Muroi is pictured front, right. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Michael Shaw<\/cite><\/p>\n On the first week, I sat next to a fellow student in a big lecture hall, exchanged pleasantries and never saw them again. Then the same thing happened in the next lecture. The smaller tutorial classes were better, but I still felt disconnected and disillusioned at how impersonal everything was. I missed seeing the same people every day and having a teacher who knew and cared about us all.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t help that my best friends had all moved interstate to pursue their degrees. I was the only one in our tight-knit highschool group who had chosen to stay in Perth, so while I recognised friendly faces across campus, I had to start building friendships again. I was a small fish entering a big pond … by myself.<\/p>\n Truthfully, I hated my first year. I went from excelling in my favourite subjects in school to struggling to figure out what I was doing wrong. I considered deferring for a year to figure things out. Looking back, that was probably a good option, and one that several of my friends ended up taking and, later, swearing by.<\/p>\n But as my second year rolled around, I changed my approach. I still wanted to do well in my classes, and as time passed, I got a better understanding of what I needed to do to succeed. But I also focused more of my energy on things outside the classroom.<\/p>\n Millie Muroi says joining the investment club at university was one of the best decisions she made.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Ivy Chung<\/cite><\/p>\n I\u2019d dabbled in a few of the university\u2019s clubs and societies in my first year, but found them to be superficial and uninspiring. By my second year, I\u2019d found more niche clubs and volunteer opportunities that actually excited me.<\/p>\n One of these was an investment club recommended to me by a friend \u2013 and, I\u2019ll admit, love interest \u2013 I met at a picnic after class. While investing was never something I thought I\u2019d be interested in, I joined the committee (it\u2019s always better to aim for committee positions than to simply sign up as a member because you\u2019ll get to be more involved) and thrived in the club\u2019s economics team. Within a year, what I think was mostly my enthusiasm, got me promoted to the club\u2019s co-president, overseeing a $20,000 portfolio of equities managed by students.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t tell you one per cent of what I learned in my classes at university, but the people I met and the skills I gained through being part of that club have stuck with me and helped me land all sorts of internships and jobs. It helped me find my passion and was the single most important part of university in helping me develop as a person.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say studying is not important (of course, grades matter to some degree) but you don\u2019t have to love your studies to get the most out of university and find your way to something you love.<\/p>\n I entered university with the firm idea that I\u2019d become a high school economics and English teacher, and left with a burning passion for business journalism shaped by my extracurricular experiences.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of trial and error. You\u2019ll get things wrong, say awkward things at networking events, struggle in some classes and sometimes feel lost.<\/p>\n Just remember that you\u2019re never alone, and that while it might take a while to figure out exactly what\u2019s right for you, there are so many different things you can try. Sign yourself up to things, make mistakes and see how doors start opening. And when that cute guy asks if you want to join an investment club you\u2019ve never heard of, say yes, because while he may not be your soulmate, it might just lead you to something else you love.<\/p>\n A matter of degrees: <\/strong><\/b>Not sure what to study and need some course inspiration? Think being a lawyer for outer space territories sounds good? Check out these degrees you probably have never heard of.<\/p>\n Give it a break: <\/b>Comedian Lizzy Hoo says a commerce degree can wait. In her gap year she mastered snowboarding, living off obscenely small amounts of cash and bailing friends out of jail. Valuable life skills, she argues.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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