Hi

I’m a nineteen year old girl from Hertfordshire, on the outskirts of the beautiful London town – my second home. I am a thoughtful, kind, down-to-earth individual who is easily approachable, so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments or through the ‘contact me‘ page.

I’ve decided to start blogging as a hobby as I’ve always been an avid writer and a lover of English from as young as nursery-age, and the passion has continued to grow as I’ve gotten older. It’s become ever more fitting since deciding I want to pursue a career in magazine journalism, so if anyone has any tips, they will be greatly received.

With love,

Victoria

x

A little bit more about me:

I’ve just begun my first year as a student at Newcastle University and am only a few months into my course. I always thought going to university was the right thing for me… until I got here.

I’d always had this idea in my head that going to university was the dream – furthering my education, increasing my knowledge, learning to find myself, meeting friends and learning to fend on my own two feet. However I was feeling the complete opposite to this when I pulled up outside my university accommodation on moving-in day.

On the days leading up to moving in, I was feeling more and more anxious and overwhelmed about the situation and moving 251 miles away from home. The thought of leaving my family, my boyfriend and life behind was breaking my heart, but I tried to convince myself that I could do it seeing as giving up isn’t my forte.

As months have gone by, my worries have further increased rather than declined, and I’m feeling more and more concerned about my decision to stay every. single. day. I’ve voiced my concerns with the university, my parents and my boyfriend and they are encouraging me to do whatever makes me happy as that really is the most important thing in life. But I just can’t stop worrying about what people may think if I do decide to drop out of university, because I’m not going to lie, if someone told me they’d dropped out of university, I (and I’m sure many others) would just assume that they didn’t do any work and were simply lazy and failing.

I am the definition of the opposite. I am a hard-working student and from day 1 of education, I have always given everything 110%. Coming to university hasn’t changed that, and I’m still working my absolute socks off to ensure that if I do stay, I pass with (hopefully) flying colours. The thing is, I’m just so unhappy and the stress and worry on a daily basis of what people might think of me if I choose to leave (ultimately what is the right decision for me), is sinking me further into a pit of sorrow and I really don’t see any way back.

I recently read an article from The Independent about dropping out of university and it put my mind at ease knowing that I wasn’t the only person out there that felt the same way as me. Anna Jones, a university drop-out, explained that she was more comfortable with the idea of getting an internship or going to work, but pressure from sixth form teachers made her feel as though getting a degree was the only option to get a good career in life, and I feel this is emphasised by the media too in this day and age. The label of ‘giving up’ puts a huge pressure on university students and that is why I am stuck here, right now, worrying about what to do with my future…

To stay or to leave, that is the question. 

(Follow up article here.)