University
I started University last September and will soon be finishing my first year. Uni has taught me a lot of things and I’ve truly had the best time of my life so far. Many of you will be starting Uni in September this year and moving into student accommodation, so I thought I’d write my top 10 tips to the first semester of Uni!
1. Prepare Make sure you completely prepare yourself before moving to uni. You will not have much room or time to move it all in. Plan what you are going to take in advance so the day can move smoothly, (Check lists worked great for me). Large boxes and bags are perfect to pack everything in.
2. Your first day is terrifying but worth it! The day you move into your accommodation is a very scary day and you’ll feel many different emotions. It will be very confusing but trust me you’ll feel a lot of relief when you’ve received your key and all your stuff is in your room. Unpack your things AFTER you have looked around and introduced yourself to any flat mates who are already there. Don’t forget to be friendly!!
3. Take a door stop This sounds strange but one of the key things when I moved in was the door stop I took with me. As soon as I unpacked and sorted myself out I kept my door open with a doorstop. This ensured anyone who walked past could have a chat or say hi. This really helped with the process and stopped things from being too awkward. It also stops you from looking unsociable and people are more likely to approach you!
4. Freshers week If you thought you drank a lot before you came to Uni, you thought wrong. Prepare yourself to become a complete alcoholic. Freshers week is a very tiring week. You will spend almost every night going out and drinking (Depending on who you are) no matter what you have to get up for the next day. Nothing really happens during freshers week apart from club events, however there will be a day where you have to go in for your course to meet course mates, write your name down and get a introduction to the course- Make sure you go to this, that’s actually important. Other than that, go out, get drunk and have fun! Freshers week is the week you go out with your flat mates and start to make friends. Go out and socialise, you will meet new people every night. Don't be worried about being shy because everyone is in the same situation! You will play drinking games and learn a lot about your flat mates in a very short amount of time. You will remember this week for the rest of your life so make sure its a good one!
5. The first day of Uni when Freshers week is finished The first day of Uni will be terrifying. You have no friends and have no idea were you are going, however people are very helpful and friendly and most likely are standing there to help you out anyway. It will be awkward at first, but eventually people will start talking to each other and you’ll make friends. Try to speak to everyone and get to know people, you're going to be with these people throughout your time here so you may as well get to know them all. The first day will seem like the worst, but it goes quick and really, it’s not that bad. The tutors will talk a lot and you’ll be given lots of pieces of paper, don't worry if you can't remember what they said, nobody ever does!
6. Food You’ll be buying lots of alcohol and takeaways for the first bit of Uni however at some point you will have to eat something decent. Try to plan a shop if you can, work out what you actually need. You’ll probably waste a lot of money on pointless things but you’ll soon learn when you’re skint! Buy things you can actually make, but remember, you’re sharing a fridge and freezer and probably won't even be able to fit it all in when you get back! You can only last on pot noodles for so long!
7. Freshers Flu At some point in the beginning week or so of Uni you will come down with Freshers flu, it spreads like wild fire. The key is to just stay in bed. It’s basically just simple flu but you’ve spent the whole week drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol and it will eventually hit you. Lots of paracetamol and bed will work!
8. Work The start of Uni is easy, you don't do much. But prepare yourself for the amount of work you will have to do. Do not leave it to last minute, its really not worth the sleepless nights! You will stay up all night trying to get things done and learn to live with 3 hours sleep. If you thought college/six form gave you a lot of work then you've got a shock coming! Keep on top of it, don't be lazy and get it done, this saves a lot of unwanted stress!
9. Home If you’re anything like me, you’ll miss home a lot! You might live down the road or you might live 5 hours away. At some point in the first few months you’re going to really miss everything about home. Make sure you keep in touch with family and friends back at home because sometimes it can become quite challenging living away on your own. It will be very strange living on your own with all these responsibilities. Not having family constantly around you will be odd, but remember you always have your flat mates there with you, speak to someone about it! You can also visit home for a weekend which is a nice way to chill out and spend some quality time with the people you want to see. It is completely understandable to feel this way and many people feel exactly the same about it so don't stay quiet about it! Eventually you will get used to doing everything for yourself and it will all get easier to cope with. Remember the large amount of summer you will get off to spend time with people!
10. Enjoy! Uni is an amazing experience and teaches you so much. You will learn new things very quick and meet people who will be friends for life! Decorate your room with things you like, make it personal and homely, ( The rooms are very bland and boring, almost like you're in a prison). Take photos or posters and stick them up. This also gives you something to talk about with your flat mates in the first week! Learn to be quite relaxed about things, your food will get stolen, the kitchen will get extremely messy and things will get broken but eventually you will learn to be chilled about it and it will get sorted, (If they steal your eggs, tell them to stop, simple). Eventually things will start to get cleaned and you’ll all learn how to live with each other. Enjoy your first year, it will be easier than the rest and is all about going out, drinking and making friends! Have fun!
