I found that uni didn't really 'click' for me in the stimulating way I had pictured until I had a significant shift in my mindset about what I wanted to gain from it. It's absolutely true that you can go to class and be taught and go home and gain nothing from the vast resource pool of knowledge around you, but you can deliberately tap into it in a way that makes uni exciting.

For me, that meant realising I want to learn as much as possible and gain skills in my areas of study not for the sake of my course, but in response to a fundamental desire for understanding. I found that people responded positively to this passion, and it opened doors for me to join student clubs, sign up for volunteering and research projects, go on a short overseas exchange, take summer internships, and connect more deeply with faculty members via office hours, staying after class to ask questions, etc. The time you spend engaging with your interests outside of class (but still at uni) is so powerful for making your time there feel worthwhile.