"You've Changed" II: The University Effect.

It struck me tonight, as I was singing Nicki Minaj's classic Super Bass on karaoke, and then later as I walked through my student village in pyjamas and bare feet, that since coming to university not only has my life changed (for the better), but also I have done a great deal of things that I never thought I would do.

I never thought I would let my flatmates see me without makeup, I never thought I would be living off crackers and toast for weeks on end, I never thought I would stay up until 3am every night (including the nights when I wasn't even going out), I never thought I would have sex with someone during Freshers' Fortnight, I never thought I would walk back to my flat at 8am wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown, I never thought I would spend my entire overdraft, I never thought I'd buy a pair of handcuffs, and I never thought I would spend a night out wearing head-to-toe leopard print, or smeared in camoflauge paint, or covered in highlighter pen scribbles.

Before university, I had never worn a onesie. I now not only own one, but have worn one on a night out. If you don't own a onesie at university, you are socially awkward. Before university, I had never streamed movies or TV shows online. Now I'm doing it every day. Before university, I had never shared a bed with someone all night. Now I love it more than I imagined I would, but also have grown to appreciate having a bed to myself every now and again.

Before university, I had never had any decent drunken stories to tell. Now I am overflowing with anecdotes; the time I got kicked out of the SU, the time I gave my bra to a friend (as part of a dare), the time I sat down at the top of the high street and refused to move, the time I demolished an entire Dominos large pizza in a three-minute taxi ride home...

I never thought I would meet such a wonderful group of people and gain lifelong friends. I never thought I would lose the people I was closest to at home. I never thought I would fall for someone. I never thought I would fit in as well as I have. I never thought I would learn to appreciate my family so much. And I definitely never thought I would be homesick for university during the holidays; so homesick that I came back to Winchester nearly two weeks early.