Students head for university for one reason – to get an education. Along the way, however, they actually pick up far more than a course of study that might guide them throughout their professional lives. Instead, they find a few unexpected skills that will be essential as they get older. Take a look at the top five.

1. Time Management: Few things are quite as important as time management when you’re a student. In many situations, you’ll not only be faced with multiple deadlines, but also the other typical pressures that come with university life. Good students, though, learn to manage both academic and personal time well to succeed on both fronts.

2. Financial Literacy: Student life is financially difficult, and the ability to pay the rent, eat, and buy other necessary items is a must. Money management can be a difficult skill to learn, especially if Mum and Dad aren’t close by for a quick cash infusion. Students typically learn the skills they’ll need in their early professional lives to make that pay packet last until the next one comes in.

3. Inner Strength: It’s hard to be a student, and often young adults must rely on themselves to make big life decisions. While students make many new friends at university, they typically also learn to rely on themselves and figure out that they’re a valuable part of society.

4. Relationship Navigation: Bad roommate? Terrible significant other? Frustrating tutor? It all happens in university, and understanding how to work with others is likely one of the most important skills students learn. Students become more resilient than ever, and they learn how to talk to others and express their feelings in a way they previously haven’t.

5. Minimalism: Student lives tend to be a creative place where you do quite a bit with very little. Whether it comes to DIY furniture or creating culinary gold out of beans and canned tomatoes, understanding how to do more with less is one skill set students may need forever.

Uni isn’t all about the books. Sometimes it’s about the little life lessons you learn while you’re there.