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Lizzie’s ultimate musical guide to university survival

It’s that time of year again! The time to cram 13 weeks of university content into your brain for your exams, while I, and a plethora of other arts/humanities students sit back, relax and thank our lucky stars we weren’t […]

It’s that time of year again! The time to cram 13 weeks of university content into your brain for your exams, while I, and a plethora of other arts/humanities students sit back, relax and thank our lucky stars we weren’t smart (or self-loathing) enough to study engineering.

It’s a stressful period of life for sure. But your pain and suffering is shared by tens of thousands of students all around the place. I took to the streets of UOW to find the songs that sum up the student experience, and here’s what went down.

What better way to unite with strangers than through the joy of music? So, based on the answers of you, the people, I decided to curate my own university survival playlist. It’s 20-song-strong, with one hour, 14 minutes of relatable tunes and suitably labelled ‘uni lyf.’ Here’s a breakdown of some of the songs I picked and why:

“Youth Allowance” by Northeast Party House

If you’re one of the lucky(?) ones to be granted some of that sweet, sweet Centrelink cash-money, you’ll know that after you’ve covered rent, bills and decorating your house in Kmart goods, you’ll probably drop what little money you’ve got left on hitting the clubs. The song is a party anthem, and the chorus, which repeats “Let’s all get on youth allowance” over and over is fun for two reasons:

  1. it’s catchy af
  2. it might piss off some old people who already think we’re already entitled enough

“I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself” by Alex Lahey

Alex Lahey is one of those songwriters who perfectly encapsulates the thoughts and feelings of her listeners. While this song is more about letting go because of a comfortable relationship, lines like ‘is this blood on my hands or is it just red wine?’ and ‘I’ve gained weight and I drink too much’ are surely representative of any uni student who’s developed a taste for weeknight vinos. This isn’t the only time Lahey pops up in this playlist, by the way. Obviously “Every Day’s the Weekend” made an appearance, less for its telling of a new relationship, and more that uni, plus the copious amounts of midweek drinking has left me with a skewed sense of time.

“Young, Dumb & Broke” by Khalid

Honestly, it’s not a great song but the title speaks for itself.

“Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” by Tame Impala

You know that feeling when you’re sitting in front of the computer, waiting for your assignment to write itself? And you don’t even do anything but you somehow see the word count going down? That’s what this song sounds like to me.

‘Everything Is Shit Except My Friendship With You’ by Ball Park Music

Ball Park Music love a song with a novel for a title and a catchy chorus, and this one’s no exception. If you’re like me, there’s every chance that you’ve spent your entire uni career stressing, staying up all night and consuming way too much caffeine. Also if you’re like me, the stress and accelerated heart rates are worth it because of the people you’ve met (and maybe the degree you get at the end, but mainly the people.)

“EISEMFWY” identifies the struggles of daily existence, like sleeping in, ‘drooling on the bedsheets, hungover again.’ Don’t worry, the theme of this playlist is not lost on me.

The science behind whether or not music helps with studying is still unclear, but there’s no denying that music can help to boost moods and morale, and hopefully motivate you to get those HD’s.

Check the full playlist here: