As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisper in Cardiff, there is something quietly stimulating about this time of the academic year.
When the city changes, the leaves paint the pavements in leaves that are shades of orange and golden-brown.
And when students return, social media starts to fill us with images of neatly highlighted reading lists and packed libraries, scented candles and homemade coffees.
Everyone becomes a more curated and aesthetic version of themselves: a productive version.
The beginning of the academic year has always carried a sense of renewal and change but recently, it has been transformed into something much bigger.
On TikTok, trends such as ‘resetting’, ‘dark academia’ and endless university preparation videos encourage us and give us an opportunity for self-improvement.
Modern culture has convinced us that you need new clothes and routines in order to have a successful year. There is something appealing about this.
After a summer of disrupted schedules and uncertainty, creating fresh routines can help us feel motivated.
Making study playlists and organising a calendar can offer a really good sense of control, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t guilty of also doing this.
These little rituals help mark a transition, but when does it get too far? Students, already navigating rising living costs and academic pressures, are feeling more vulnerable than ever.
The rise of micro-trends has created a fantasy that starts making it more important to convince yourself you’re doing the work, than actually just doing it yourself.
And maybe we can become the ‘dark academia’ students that read classics in Bute Park, but that shouldn’t be a priority in order for you to feel content and comfortable.
What makes this particularly difficult is that the ambition and targets keep moving.
Once one trend fades, another quickly replaces it, so we are never quite satisfied or complete with how we present our work and lifestyle.
The idea that waking up at 6 AM, reading all day and never missing a deadline, while also working part-time jobs, all while heading to a cafe for a nice pumpkin spice latte, is impossible.
And it shouldn’t be encouraged as a personal failure.
It is important to be organised and motivated, however, it shouldn’t feel exhausting.
At the same time, these ideas are not entirely negative. For some students, they provide inspiration and community which is just as important.
University can sometimes be isolating to certain individuals, especially for first years arriving in a new city.
Watching videos about academic success and habits can be reassuring.
Seeing others work hard can motivate us to do the same thing.
But the problem is that you should find people you can bounce off of, and find friends to work together, allowing you to be inspired by each other’s standards, not just by consuming products.
Perhaps the healthiest approach is to remember that there is no correct way to be a student and working towards your degree.
Some people work best in colour-coded planners, while others rely on last-minute lists and ideas in notebooks, and that’s perfectly fine.
Success at university shouldn’t be measured by the things you see online, it is measured by finding routines and ideas that genuinely work for you.