University advice.

Yikes!!

Hang on!!! Do not panic, I repeat do not panic!

University may appear to be a scary time of your life; however it is not really that scary. Yes there are some aspects that make University seem like a frightening time:

1. You move away from home.

2. You are now in charge of your health.

3. You have rent to pay.

4. You have a lot more homework, essays, exams to do.

5. You have to be careful with your money.

6. Will you get on with your flatmates?

Okay! So maybe there is actually a reason to be nervous, but let me tell you as someone who has gone through the whole University thing and come out with a degree it is possible! So let's take a deep breath and I will do my best to break down what you can expect from University and some tips that will/can make it a lot easier to prepare for it.

What to take with you:

You will need to take the obvious essentials

• Plates and bowls - obviously.
• Cutlery - however chose your favourite, then put some nail varnish on them all to identify yours further from one of your flatmates.
• A door stopper - this might appear a stupid thing to take with you, but especially on the first day if you have your door open then your house mates will see that you are friendly and they are then more likely to then converse with you.
• Toiletries - nothing worse than forgetting them!
• Your laptop - unless you want to write 2000 word essays by hand.
• Printer - I know it is expensive but it will save you so much money if you have your own instead of spending 10p a page in the library.
• Lamp - I do believe that some University rooms come with a lamp, but more often then not there will only be one, so it is better to have another that can then go next to your bed.
• Multi-plug - these are so useful! It makes life easier if there is only one set of plugs and you have multiple things to plug in.
• Glass container - this is a weird one, on a University campus there is normally a launderette therefore if you have a glass container (or something similar) then you can save spare change to use to pay for your washing and drying.

 What to expect:

When you move in you will go to a separate building to collect your key, now pay attention because this is really important! make sure you do not leave your key in your room after Fresher's Week, because you will be charged after that for being locked out. Lectures will not be easy - but then again it is the last stage towards your education, what do you expect?

Social life:

Getting along with your flatmates is essential; however also having a social life outside of your flat is a big part of University as well. You can do that by attending the Serendipity, which is a fair that showcases all the different society (or clubs) of that University. It is a good way to join a society that you are used to: e.g. netball, football, dance, etc. 

University is not the easiest ride of your life, but it will allow you to make some new friends and memories that will stay with you throughout your life. If you decide that you want to continue your education by going to University you will really appreciate your degree once you have got it.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you have had a lovely day.

KatieE.