Hobbies That Can Prepare You For University

8 Hobbies Guaranteed To Make University Easier

As we know, academic grades are an important factor into getting into university. You are required to meet the entry requirements in order to get a place on your course of choice. However, it is important to realise that other skills, which are not related to academics, are also needed to survive university.

Here are some potential hobbies that you can undertake that will in turn make you university ready:

• Cooking – this is something that is seen to be quite therapeutic. It can help you relax and is a way of helping your mental health. This is a good skill to have as you will need to know how to cook if you choose to move away for university. Besides needing to know how to cook to keep you alive, cooking can also help you de-stress.
• Gym – this is something that requires self-motivation and perseverance. Besides being fitter physically, it also has many emotional and mental health benefits. Sometimes this means that you may feel better but may not look ‘better.’ This ‘feel better’ feeling is something that keeps people attending the gym. Self-motivation is a trait that is essential to have in university as you are required to be independent. You will not have teachers looking over your back constantly like you did at school. Perseverance is another characteristic which is useful to have as you will face difficult times at university whether that be academic related or social related. Not giving up is something which will help to pull you through your degree.
• Reading – I’m guessing this won’t come as a shock to most of you. Reading has many benefits and some of them are; better concentration, improvement of memory, a broader knowledge of vocabulary and also reduced stress levels. Without doubt, all degrees will expect you to read large amounts of text in order to understand your subject more. Therefore, having reading as a hobby will prepare you in advance for your time at university. Also, reading books that are not academically related to your course as a pass time will help you to relax and focus temporarily on something else when you are feeling uneasy.
• Partaking in sports – this not only improves your health but also your social skills. Any form of exercise or physical activity comes with a list of mental and health benefits. As for social skills, when partaking in sports you will often play in teams and against other people. This will help enhance your teamwork skills which will be needed for any group work that you will do during your course. Another social skill you will learn is how to cope with any competition in a fair manner. In university this can help with anyone you are not too fond of or anyone you are competing against. Universities also offer plenty of social activities and clubs which are a great way to socialise.
• Puzzles and Games – this can be done on your own or with family and friends and the possibilities are endless. You can play video games, board games, games on your phone, games online and educational games. Some games that are particularly beneficial for your brain are games like Sudoku and Crosswords. However, any game can be useful for your brains health. Games and puzzles are proven to help enhance problem solving skills, memory, co-ordination and multitasking skills. These collectively help to improve your social skills and your academic skills.
• Meditation – this helps you to become more aware of your surroundings and helps to improve your mental and emotional state so that you can become more stable overtime. These traits are important to have in university as you will find yourself adapting quicker and accepting things easier. These things may include being separated from your friends, achieving a lower grade than expected and just generally improve your outlook on university.
• DIY – this could be simply making homemade cards, doing some garden maintenance, building a wardrobe or really anything! Try to complete tasks on your own that you would usually depend on others to do. By doing this you may find a new hobby or several new hobbies. DIY gives you a sense of self-fulfilment which can be great for self-confidence and self-dependence. All these are qualities you need throughout your university journey as you are expected to complete most things on your own judgement.
• Learning a new skill – this could be learning a new language, learning to play an instrument, learning to knit or learning to paint portraits. The list is endless. Choosing to do something new and different will exercise your brain and create new neural pathways. This helps your brain to be more flexible and learn quicker. This is valuable for your time at university as you will be constantly surrounded by new people and be given new information.

The list does not end here. Find a hobby that is good for you and your future!