University. The word makes me want to run a mile, my whole body just shudders at the very utterance of it and yet for the past two years it is all I am hearing no matter how loud I turn up my Busted CD! I don't know why, perhaps it is because it is such a huge decision and I am being pressured to write in stone my whole life year by year. As if I know what I want to do in the summer of 2032! Or maybe it is just me being lazy, after all I am in officially bone-idle and can get away with it for now as I am only 18 and plan to get away with it as long as I possibly can! But after hours of being bitter and crouching in a dark corner I have realised that despite all my curses on the world and everyone in it I am not the only one feeling this!

Thousands of young people will be going through similar emotions as I am and perhaps as you are or one day will! It's not easy with the pressure from college, parents, universities all begging you to choose theirs and even the pressure you end up putting on yourself. Day after day mail arrives addressed to me and e-mail accounts full of messages from "The best uni in England" becomes extremely tedious and boring to read as they all say the same thing! It is no wonder people just delete the e-mails, throw the mail away and choose to ignore it; the process is just so dull!

So what advice can I pass on to all those who are yet to go through this? Well, I know I would have actually researched it a little bit more and actually chose a university that I actually liked the sound of! Don't make my mistake and just choose somewhere to get people off your back! It can be hard because it feels like parents, friends and teachers are just not listening to what you actually want, but they are only trying to help. And if that means nagging, arguments and total disagreement so be it. We all go through it!

Most importantly, please choose the course that you actually want to do, not what others want you to do as this decision will affect the rest of your life! Do something that will make you happy! Good luck to everyone beginning a new journey this year, let's hope it is an exciting and pleasurable one! Also, for the people unsure of their future, don't worry! (Lets be honest; none of us actually know what we will be doing in 1o years time!) Sian Williams