So I finished university this year and i'm due to graduate in November so I thought i'd share a few tips with you guys about uni life and little tricks to survive. I actually stayed at home so I didn't live in halls or student accommodation however alot of my friends did so here's just a few tips.
If your staying in halls just remember you will sharing your accommodation with other people so if your someone who only eats certain things or likes things done a certain way you may have to come to terms with change! I would say get some labels ! You can buy labels (like the ones for letters/ parcels) from the pound shop, just pop a label on things that are yours and you don't want people to use/ touch, this will set some boundaries.
- get a toiletries bag if you have sharing bathrooms instead of leaving your favourite shampoo for everyone else to use.
- Things like bread, milk etc, come to some kind of agreement whether you buy your own or will share. It would maybe be a waste to have a whole loaf of bread to yourself whereas if everyone shares there would be less waste.
Lists; There's going to be loads going on freshers fairs, enrollment, nights out, student cards, student discount events! Get a diary! write everything down so you don't forget. Its also great for keeping on top of those assignments! I used to have a chalk board and I would write down what work I planned to do each week and would keep a note of any deadlines and upcoming lectures.
Get yourself a USB stick - Like this handy one from Kingston - pop it on your keys! Back up your work. I used to hear horror stories about how students would lose essays or photos / art work etc because their laptop has broke or its disappeared off the university network. Get yourself a USB or two and back everything up just incase!
Learn to cook - This handy cookbook has loads of easy recipes for students - I was fine because I stayed at home but if I went away for Uni I would have struggled since I would have had to live off beans on toast! It's a great idea to learn a few simple recipes so you can pull your weight and cook a meal for your flat mates!
Doctors- Join the local doctors surgery or find out where the nearest walk in clinic is. You can get into all types of trouble at uni, fall over on a night out, food allergies and you may need to see a doctor, its a good idea to get things like this sorted during your first few weeks at uni otherwise you will find yourself in a spot of bother if you don't know where to go!
Freshers Fair - Go to the freshers fair, its a great way to find out whats around the campus and which places do deals for students! At my uni dominos were always doing student offers and I signed up for a waterstones card. You can find out about gyms in the area and student offers at the cinema etc. You also get loads of freebies, I got cans and cans of energy drinks breakfast biscuits etc so it was well worth going to!
Societies and clubs- I didn't join any clubs as I said I lived at home and just saw them as a hassle however a few of my friends were members and found it a great way to meet new people with similar interests and I think if you are going to uni because you want to meet people and networks and communicate then societies are great!
I hope this has maybe helped a little! I would love to hear your university stories. Was you in a society and whats your number one tip for surviving freshers?
This kit was send on behalf of StressFreePrint, they are running a campaign for freshers over on their site
www.stressfreeprint.co.uk
