Balance is Key

2 Nov 2023

Hi, my name is Brian, I’m a Master’s student in Positive and Coaching Psychology at UCC. Having first started my journey here in UCC over 4 years ago, there are several nuggets of wisdom I picked up from others along the way which I would love to have given my 1st year self: 

Balance is Key: 

In my opinion, an enjoyable experience of university life tends to hinge on aiming to strike as close to an optimal balance between each of your academic, social, and personal lives. Having made the common pitfall of overloading one area (academic) early on during my  1st year, I quickly learned that this method of overloading one area is simply unsustainable over the long-term. More so, I soon realised that by spreading my focus more evenly across the other two areas, my academic performance improved even more! Along the same vein, I was forced to change my mindset in how I viewed my studies, shifting from a sprint-focused Leaving Certificate mindset to a much more long-term, marathon-esque way of approaching the University workload. 

What gets Measured gets Managed: 

Coming from Secondary School, I found the lack of an hour-by-hour timetable in university difficult to get used to. For me, the added flexibility and responsibility which comes with it led to a lot of procrastination and undue stress come deadlines. If I could give one piece of advice to that 1st year version of myself, I would say to go ahead and make the timetable anyways! I find personally, the added structure and routine makes my time in university – over the long-term – much more enjoyable and less stressful. It’s important to note that the timetable doesn’t have to be so rigid that it adds even more pressure to your day, it does however remove a level of uncertainty over when and where to study. It also allows you to measure your rest ethic. Are you scheduling in time to meet friends for coffee and to socialise in the evenings? It’s important to maintain these friendships and connections for your overall wellbeing and resilience, ensuring you maintain a level of sustainable productivity over the course of your time in UCC. 

Get involved with Clubs and Societies: 

This one really is a no-brainer. It took me until towards the end of my second year to finally join some of the clubs and societies UCC has to offer. There really is something for everyone. With clubs ranging from chess to dance, boxing, archery, squash, table tennis and ultimate frisbee. Societies have an even more diverse range to choose from the Comedy society to Commerce society, Harry Potter society, Translational Medicine society, and more. The friendships and memories you make through joining these groups can be a central part of your time in UCC. The friends you make during your college years can often last for life and you should keep this in mind during your degree. Don’t neglect these friendships, don’t neglect the social side of university life. They might not appear on your academic transcript, but they have a huge impact on your quality of life, in UCC and beyond. 

Imposter Syndrome: 

I remember my first lecture in UCC like it was yesterday. I was in a huge lecture hall with more than 200 other 1st year students from Medicine, Dentistry, and my degree in Medical and Health Sciences. I remember feeling overwhelmed and like I really didn’t deserve to be there – or at the very least, everyone else was more capable than me. From speaking to others since that faithful day, I’ve come to realise that this is a shared and very common experience. More often than not, everyone else is feeling the same level of self-doubt that naturally comes with being thrust into a brand-new environment, especially one on the scale of UCC. Also, don’t be afraid to approach your lecturers if you’re struggling with a particular module or concept. Although they can initially seem to be impossibly impressive, larger than life figures, at the end of the day they were in your position not so long ago and almost always will do their very best to help in any way they can!