As September gets closer and closer, the prospect of actually leaving for Uni is becoming a reality for a lot of people. I was not going to do this post as I'm still in sixth form so cannot give my 'top tips' for uni quite yet. However it's such an important topic for a student blog, I thought I had to include it. But instead of just using tips from online, I talked to people I know that are either at uni, going this year or have finished uni, to put together a post with all their best tips for those of you starting university this Septemmber. Without futher ado, here are top tips for freshers starting university...
-Sort out your finances before you go. Make sure you know your weekly/monthly allowance and have a plan to start making an income. Whether that's a job or a summer internship.
-Try checking your university on social media sites before you leave. Sometimes they have groups set up specifically for freshers so you can start meeting new people before you even get there. At the very least, join the groups so people have an idea of who you are if they happen to see you.
-As well as making sure you have all the right gadgets, it is a good idea to insure the expensive ones (phones, laptops, tablets) against theft particularly or damage.
-You do not need to go out and buy all the books on your reading list as soon as you get in. Have a look around because you'll normally be able to borrow them or buy them for cheap from another student or third party website.
-If you're looking for a job in your university city, go on a day out about 3 weeks before university starts. Hand out your CV to shops and cafe's in the city. If you wait to do this in September, it's a mad rush as all students are trying to get jobs so they all go very quickly.
-Budgeting is hard as a student so you have to learn to save on the little things. Buy your own beers rather than going out, make your own coffee each morning rather than spending £3 each day on a Starbucks... In the long term, this will add up so you'll be more likely to be able to splurge on the bigger stuff.
-If you're not a big TV watcher, rather than spending loads on modern cable, try just buying Netflix for £10 per month and use catch up online to watch newer shows.
-Throughout freshers week, infact throughout your whole first year, try to go out and get involved as much as possible. It will help you make friends and build a strong social life. Also, you will have less time to go out in later years due to work overload so make the most of it now.
-During freshers week, make sure you take the time to get to know your room mates and neighbours. A great tip is to leave your rooms door open whilst you're in so people can come in and chat. (But be sure to close your door when you're out and sleeping of course!)
-Take plenty of alcohol for freshers week, even if you go out a lot, it can always be stored for when you're running low on money.
-If you are not a massive drinker/partier, do not be worried or nervous. Just go out with people you meet and get along with, have fun and go with it. You probably won't be best friends with these people forever so just have a good time.
-Bringing a laptop to uni is a real advantage. It means you can take notes during class and write your work up anywhere rather than relying on computers in the library.
-Take outs are great but make sure you're not being done over by the price. For example, getting take out curry when it's on offer is good for your budget but don't buy the expensive small portions of rice. Instead, buy a supermarket own brand rice (bread, pasta ect...) which you can keep to use throughout the week/month.
-Clothes wise, do not stress about your wardrobe too much. Just wear clothes that are comfortable, look decent and kind of reflect who you are. For example, if you are sporty, there's nothing wrong with wearing sports type clothes around campus (to an extent.)
-Take full advantage of student discounts and charity shops because you won't be able to afford full priced high street clothes for very long!
-At most universities, a humble bike will be your best friend throughout the 3/4 years you are there. Cars are expensive and bad for the environment (plus there's almost no where to park) so are often discouraged by universities. However, don't buy a £1 000 bike, a normal priced bike (even second hand) will do the job. Make sure to invest in some lights as it's a legal requirement to have both front and back lights in the dark; safety wise you might also want to look for a helmet and some kind of fluorescent material that can be attached to either you or the bike. It may not look cool but could save you from some pretty nasty accidents.
I hope some of these tips helped, I'm sorry they're such a random bunch of tips, I just wrote what I was told ;) Anyway, for those of you starting university in September, good luck! I'm sure it will be amazing. Just remember that you're paying a lot to be there so make the most of it as much as possible.
Thanks for reading and see you next time
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