If I think back about my time at university, the best moments were those quiet, unremarkable, in between, unstructured expanses of time where not really much happened.
It was watching the Chase after class. It was eating tea in the front room with my six other housemates. It was just not doing very much at all but finding it deliriously fun to just spend time with people I liked.
I worked on and off during university but this time to hang out was made possible because I could afford to do it. Not only was my maintenance grant comparatively generous, I also received £4,000 a year from my university because I got good grades and I previously lived with my mam who earned a modest income. My rent was only £65 per week too which didn’t feel cheap at the time but does now in retrospect.
The whole point is I had time not to have to do things. I was also the last generation of £3,000 tuition fees which is also probably part of the reason I did not feel the urgent need to do CV building activities of all kinds.
