3 lessons University has taught me

The fact that we officially have entered 2017 is daunting. I remember picking up my student ID when I first started here at Southampton in September 2014. The “valid until” date, which said 2017, felt so far away, yet here I am revising for my fifth exam period at University of Southampton. It has led me to think about what I have learned throughout the years, beyond very course specific things.

It is quite a lot, which I without doubt will bring with me when I graduate. I have tried to sum it up to the top three things I value the most from what I have learned so far:

1. Statistics are misused badly on a daily basis

People and newspapers toss around figures all the time, I’m sure you have heard someone say “but 9/10 times this is the case” or “80% of students have experienced this and this” – since I’ve started doing statistics, this agitates me so much I want to scream – “what data are you basing this on, what is your sample size??!!”.

One of the main things the University has taught me, apart from how to use statistics properly, is to be critical of figures and data I see on a daily basis. Most newspapers who conduct their own "statistics" often do so with biased samples and over-generalisations - an opinion poll in the Daily Mail on immigration won't represent the whole of the UK's opinion on immigration, for example.

Statistical interference isn't what most people think about when reading headlines, but you wouldn't do a presentation at work without knowing that the figures you are using are as factually correct as you can get them, and therefore you shouldn't just "take everything as good fish", as we say in Norway.

2. What works in one place might not work somewhere else

What works in one place might not work somewhere else. This strangely came about when we were learning about different types of governance in my first year – democracy was used as an example of something that works great in certain places, but maybe not in all of the world. 

Later, I have seen in almost all of the modules I have been doing, from politics to economics, that this still holds. Even outside the University I see certain things that work great in the UK, but probably wouldn’t work great in Norway... such as driving on the left side of the road.

3. The importance of referencing

What a pain it can be to make sure you have used proper Harvard referencing on a 3000-word essay – but oh so important! Not only important when you write an essay, but in general when you speak on important issues. Especially in a world where it can be hard to distinguish between real news and fake news, being critical to what you read and your sources is imperative. 

This has only become more and more clear to me as the years have gone by at University. Again, you wouldn't hand something in at work without double/triple checking that what you are claiming is factually correct. I think the bottom line is that the precision and eye for detail you put into anything related to professional work or university should also apply to what you share privately.

Some people might not be as good at distinguishing "bad fish" from "good fish", but the fact that you are and that this is important to you is something I strongly believe future employers will appreciate, and something that without doubt will pay off in regards to university coursework.

Although I have not graduated yet and I still have the most challenging part left of my course - these are a few of the many things I will bring with me into the life of “grown-ups”.

Some Southampton love - one of many beautiful sunsets we have had throughout my time here.

Now - to dissertation work and exam revision!

Alexandra