Going away to university gives you lots of opportunities: for one thing, there’s the chance to study a field you’re passionate about (or that you think will give you a leg up the employment ladder), to make friends you wouldn’t have ever had the chance to even meet before, and to live independently, away from your parents, possible for the first time.
It comes at a time in your life where your new found maturity and independence will be chafing at the demands of living at home with your family, and for many people getting away from that situation for a few years gives them the chance to establish an adult relationship with their parents: to be seen as more than a child in your parents eyes and in turn to see them as more than an arbitrary authority figure.
The chance to reinvent yourself at university is not one to be squandered – unless you’re going to be surrounded by people from your school, you’re shedding the baggage and reputation you’ve built up from years of schooling. This could be a good or bad thing – some people who’ve been very big fish at school cope badly with being transferred to a much larger pool. It helps to see it as an opportunity, a chance to explore parts of your personality you haven’t had the chance to before.
Wardrobe can be an important part of this – changes in your actions stick better when they’re reinforced by a change in your look! Seeing someone subtly different in the mirror helps you to believe you’re making real changes!
Adding a Blood Brother sweater or hoodie to your cupboard can help you both seem and feel more relaxed. If you worked hard to get to university and want to enjoy the social side of things this could be a smart choice to change your look.
If you’re taking the study side of the experience more seriously you might want to add some more collegiate options to your wardrobe. Many university towns have some good options for charity shops, allowing you to make some significant changes to your look without spending all your student loan in a single shopping trip!
The most important thing is to make sure you’re being true to yourself, and what makes you happy. It’s easy to get subsumed by the social side of university, but more and more student are reporting problems with depression and anxiety, so make sure you’re taking time for the person you really are. If that person likes a quiet chat with a small number of people, or reading in a cosy nook, that has to take priority over wild nights out.