Let me tell you, grad life after Sussex isn’t what you think

What can we say about Sussex University? It’s a time to learn, experiment, and of course get very very drunk. But one thing we can all agree on is university is hard work. I mean if you don’t read 100 or more pages every week, did you even go to university? If you didn’t at least contemplate dropping out a few times did you really experience anything?

Students just don’t get enough credit. They juggle uni, sleep, extra-curricular,parties, sorting out where to live, some even throw a job into that mix and that takes some major skill. But what happens to all this once you graduate? What is graduate life actually like?

Sussex doesn’t prepare you for life after university

Sussex University may seem great and they might throw a bunch of statistics at you that tell you 95 per cent of graduates find a job six months after leaving, but I have bad news… it’s pretty crap. Before Sussex I was lucky enough to have a job, a pretty mediocre one but a job nonetheless, however when it came to graduate job searching I hadn’t a clue where to begin. Sure there’s the careers centre in the library, but they just send you to the careers hub, which is very much finance, business, and science focused. Sorry BA students.

But hey, they’ll still call you every month or so asking for a donation from their esteemed alumni…

It’s back home for some…

It’s a known fact that a lot of you will have to move back into your parents once you graduate or face crippling rent and a hefty council tax because student immunity doesn’t exist. Now, no-one judges you for choosing this option. It’s cheap, easy, and you’ve got your mum back helping you with your washing and probably might even make you lunch every now and then. It’s totally worth it till you start to worry about your independence. If you begin to feel like that, it’s time to move out and start anew.

Job searching can be pretty depressing

Thousands and thousands of adverts. Each one takes an hour to apply for and for once you’re feeling pretty confident only to have it shattered when you never hear from them again. It stings, yes. But it’s not the end of the world.

Denial that you need to be an adult 

Finishing university is a daunting task because you don’t really know what to do next. So you cling on to as much of the student lifestyle as you can. My go to student experience is binge-watching Netflix for hours on end and attempting to stay up late, which is a fail most nights.

You’re in denial that you’re a graduate and you have to start acting like one, except university never really explained what being a graduate actually is. You’re pushed out the door and spend the next six months completely lost in your tiny little bubble.

Hope

Hearing back from the first graduate job out of thousands is a big achievement and landing an interview is cause for celebration. Of course, it’s only an interview and you have to actually research, look the part all in the hope of receiving the first real pay packet. .

Clubbing just isn’t the same 

Drinking isn’t as fun. The hangover lasts an extra day and hits you harder than your students days. To top it off you usually have work the next day.

People stop asking for ID, which makes you feel old 

You feel yourself actually searching for your ID and the cashier replying “No, it’s okay. You’re clearly over 18.”. It just hits you right in the heart. Every time. It doesn’t get any easier.

Adulting is a real thing

This part is where graduate life gets serious. If you don’t live at home, you have to organise everything yourself, which is really rather difficult. You have to pay bills, council tax, rent, food. You have to deal with doctors and dentist appointments, travel, work,  and somehow have a social life.

There are some great things about graduate life though such as you have no more essays, no more agonising waits for that essay grade you believe you did terribly on, because we’ve all been there. And potentially the best thing of all is you can read for pleasure rather than for essays. Also, you can focus a lot more of your time working for money.

However, before you get your hopes up. The tax man does take it all away.