Editorial: New year, same bad habits

Bethany Woodhead and Tara Gandhi
Editors-in-Chief

Everyone handles moving to university differently, and everyone thinks they are the only person in the world who can possibly feel a certain way or have certain worries. Whether you’ve been itching to escape your dead-end hometown and the mistakes you’ve made there, or dreading pulling away from cherished family and friends, each and every one of us comes to university with our own boatload of baggage; some more than others… and we’re guilty as charged.

We’re over half way through our time here at Glasgow and it’s fair to say it’s already been one hell of a rollercoaster. Friends have been found and then lost, deadlines have approached and been missed, and hearts have been broken one too many times. Yet, somehow, through the days spent refusing to get out of bed, manically emailing disability advisors at 4am, or tearfully downing cheap wine in our office lair, we’ve made it to where we are and we’re about to embark on another amazing adventure in our upcoming tenure as Editors-in-Chief. 

When Tara first came to Glasgow, she cried every day for ten days. Going into third year, she still finds it hard to make the big move away from her family and, despite loving it here, it’s still difficult for her to finish the summer break and make the permanent move back up to Glasgow. Bethany, on the other hand, tends to avoid all problems by doing the easiest thing: running away. Be that to the other side of the world on backpacking trips she really can’t afford, or simply by living in Glasgow over the summer to distance herself from her hometown: if she can hide, she will. We handle things differently, to say the least; yet we’re both in the same place doing the same thing and, frankly, kicking some ass. Guess what we’re trying to say is, it doesn’t matter what path you take on the road to success; each of us will get there in our own fucked up ways and it’s absolutely acceptable to be a chaotic mess on the way to achieving it. 

And that’s not just in reference to our social lives, our accomplishments at the paper, or boring ol’ mental health issues. We’ve been able to scramble and grapple for academic success too, but again, in totally different ways. If there’s one person who can count the total number of lectures she’s missed on one hand, it’s Tara; and if there’s one person who can count the total number of lectures she’s actually attended on one hand, it’s Bethany. But we’re both embarking on our third year of university with some damn good grades – if we don’t say so ourselves – which is further proof that you shouldn’t let anyone dictate how you choose to approach your university career. Or, at least, you shouldn’t let anyone make you feel bad about it. Sure, sometimes you need a kick up the backside by a friend, family member or university official if you seem to be spiralling and need an extra hand and bit of support (trust us, we’re no strangers to the Disability Services); but as you progress through your time here, you’ll get to know yourself in a way you never have before, and the way you work and socialise and cope with all the shit life throws at you will eventually start to come to light. 

So, if you fancy trying your hand at student journalism, making new friends, or you’re simply looking for a group of insomniacs who will never say no to a pint, then join us this year, starting with our Freshers’ Contributors Meeting on Thursday 19 September at 16:30 in the McIntyre Building (room 201), and then in the Hillhead Bookclub afterwards for our first official social of the year!