Science was always my subject at school. Understanding how the world is put together and functions is, to me, the most fascinating thing you can possibly learn. So when filling out my UCAS form, biology was the obvious choice-well it would be right? If it was anything like the subject I learnt and loved at school it was going be a doddle.

But biology at university hit me hard I didn't realise the work that was involved: 20 hours contact time a week and up to twice that much time out of the lecture theatre. It was driving me mad! I always had the preconception that uni life was supposed to be about more than just academic work, but how was I supposed to go and get my groove on in Ziggys and Toffs with 9:15 lectures everyday? How was I supposed to join the girl's football team when I had to work so much just to keep moving forward with my degree?

I vowed that I definitely wasn't going be the hermit in my house and not go out. So I ventured out with the others when it was time to explore the bars in town or go to the student nights at Ikon, Toffs and Ziggys. I joined societies and the gym, aerobics and god knows what else. I wanted the full university experience, and I wasn't going to let a small thing like my degree get in the way!

But to be honest, when it came to the crunch I wore myself out. Rather than going over lecture notes at the weekend, I found myself using the time to re-cooperate. To make matters worse I had housemates who were predominantly arts students. Now, us scientists have always seethed with jealousy when viewing our peers' timetables in these subjects…I mean what is all that free time about? It made me laugh to hear the art students claiming that they have the rough end of the deal: they had bags of time to get involved in all the societies they want to, go out and party and yes, do all of their work. The issue of self discovery and need for independence just seemed laughable when I thought of the stress biologists and chemists are under.  I often felt as if time was running away from me: I never seemed to achieve anything, and sometimes I wouldn't even have time to eat properly. 

By the second term I realised that I couldn't keep going on in this way. My exam results brought me back down to earth and I finally understood that although I had come to university to experience life, I had also come to get a good degree. After some soul-searching, I realised that whether arts or science student, your degree is important. It is a passport to a career, so the correct amount of time needs to be spent on it. I found that there are always people at hand to help if you are starting to feel the pressure of your degree: in my experience, talking helps because often others can see what you cannot. A person with a little distance from the situation can help you create the balance which you desperately need to survive a science (or arts) degree. You also need to factor in time with your friends, time to relax and time to enjoy new experiences. The key is not to take too much on and to be realistic about what you can handle.

Now, I'm in the second year of my course, but after learning a valuable lesson about time management and prioritising, I enjoy a good social life at uni while still getting the most out of my science degree. I'm loving my degree and loving my life as a student.