Community: Real Life

Student wasters


Laura Ellis

Laura, 20, is a hard working student who enjoys writing and dreams of becoming a well-known, successful journalist.

Laura has had enough of watching students flush their university opportunities down the toilet.

When I hear the word 'university' I imagine making new friends, starting exciting projects and working towards an invaluable degree that will kick-start my career. The problem is that these driving forces aren't important to everyone when they begin their studies. Too many students go for the parties, the all-night binge drinking sessions and the stereotypical student lifestyle. Sure, partying is inevitable at university, but it shouldn't be the sole reason for going. For me the £3,070 tuition fees are enough reason not to go out every night partying and waste money that could be saved for paying off student debts.

Every night I'm invited out by my flatmates, who think nothing of spending £50 every night on booze and taxi fares. For me, that £50 could pay for two weeks' worth of food shopping, or a return train ticket home for the weekend. These people have no concept of budgeting.

When everyone else goes out, I take the opportunity to get an early night. I'm now in the habit of going to sleep with ear plugs in, knowing that they will all be rowdy when they come back at silly o'clock in the morning. In the past, before I got ear plugs, I've been woken by the constant shouting of my next door neighbour and her friends, and the early morning fire bell, (that's another rant entirely!) which has been set off by drunks on the floor below.

"There's definitely a fine line between drinking and binge drinking, which lots of people seem to cross every night."

If that's not stressful enough, since I started university I've witnessed fellow students turning up late, if at all, to lectures and seminars as a result of the night before. Not only do they delay the start of the session, but I've often overheard the non-boozy students commenting on how the 'night howlers' have sat behind them for the whole of a lecture describing in detail what happened the night before. That's not what we want to hear at 9am, especially not when deadlines are creeping up on us. This really makes my blood boil as they are setting themselves up for a bad year and ruining the working ethos of the students who are willing to learn.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy going out. I went to freshers parties to make new friends and have a good time, just not on the scale of some students. There's definitely a fine line between drinking and binge drinking, which lots of people seem to cross every night. I don't understand where the fun is, why drink to make yourself sick and then spend the next morning hung over? But subjecting others to hear all about your night, when all they want to do is learn, is just downright selfish.

What I'm wondering is: at what point will distracted students realise how important university is? Before all their money is wasted, if they're lucky.

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