The first week of university has begun and I am as excited about it as you can possibly be with Monday lectures starting at 8.30. Being one of the obnoxious people who genuinely enjoys going back to work after vacation – that means very excited. Tired. But very excited. I am, however, aware that not every fellow student shares my excitement for the upcoming study year. And, taking past experiences in consideration, I am also aware that my own excitement can be severely decreased by deadlines and exam preparation.

But if the past two years have taught me one thing about life as a university student it is that even the worst courses and experiences are equipped with a silver lining. I do know what I am talking about, having survived my archenemy of courses (Statistics 1) last semester. I put a lot of work into it, it stressed me out and I eventually cried a few times because the final chapters just wouldn’t make sense. Until they did. Eventually.

Things didn’t get better with me and standard deviations because I sacrificed a lamb in some kind of obscure ritual, but because I dragged myself to workgroup after workgroup and through chapter after chapter, until I stopped being scared of the course that made me lose my mind during the first year. And while forcing myself to use a calculator, I learned a very valuable lesson: you can’t find a silver lining while in hiding. Statistic won’t get better when you try to ignore it.

The best things in life are something you have to work for and the worst things in life are often things you ultimately have to face. Being young isn’t always easy, because you have to make decisions and learn to live with failures and sometimes take a stand — and it is unavoidable to get hurt in the process. But in order to be this fabulous future self you one day want to be, you sometimes have to be fierce. Face that course, face that assignment, face that exam, face homesickness and heartbreak. It is, as far as I have observed the issue, really a part of growing up.

Every two weeks, Antonia will add the songs she writes about to the Spotify playlist below. This way, she creates a soundtrack to her time in Nijmegen. Click left and right for more songs.

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