Starting university can be a difficult thing for everyone. You’re moving away from home and you’re out on your own in the big wide world and you’re responsible for everything from your money down to your socks. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best tips for you for starting university.
Set a budget:
Make sure you’ve got a predetermined budget in place, saving money at university is very very important. Don’t stress too about money, your education should be taking the main focus and enjoyment, but it’s definitely a good idea to work out just how much you have to spend on your food and on your rent and just how much of your money is left for your own leisurely activities. Just be careful not to spend too much of your money on socialising in your very first week; remember, there are lots of ways for you to have fun without having to break the bank.
Work on your organisational skills:
Don’t forget to make sure everything in your uni life is sorted, whether that be your accommodation, your finances, your visas (if you’re studying abroad) and everything else in between, it might not be much fun having to sort out these sorts of things, but it will definitely be worth the hassle in the long run! You also don’t want to forget the equipment that you’ll be needing for your studies such as a laptop, a notepad or any pens etc.
Pay attention:
Try to avoid getting into bad habits with your course, they’re difficult to get out of. Paying attention in your lectures is very important to the success of your degree. Some of the best advice is that you should start as you intend to continue and that will set you in very good stead as you progress throughout the year. You’ll feel the repercussions of you missing any scheduled lectures, any seminars or any of your practical sessions early on. These various learning processes are your opportunities to pick up some advice on how to approach your various different assignments or referencing or anything else that you may be struggling with, you can speak directly to any subject experts and then you can be introduced to some key concepts and new theories that will become a mainstay in your various units.
Look into potential student discounts:
Although this links into our first point, you should still be looking to make the most of any potential student discounts and any freebies. Your student card can get you up to 10% or more off of your overall basket at many places and an NUS extra card can also provide any further discounts. Don’t be shy to ask if there’s a student discount available, even when you’re at smaller or more independent stores, too. Even if the idea of joining a uni club doesn’t float your boat, you should still head to your local freshers’ fair and you can take advantage of all the freebies that are up for grabs and you can stock up on all sorts! If you’re feeling very brave, then sign up for a free haircut at a salon where the local trainees are given an opportunity to try out their skills, granted you won’t know what you’re letting yourself in for, but you’ll save yourself a few quid! There are plenty of student discounts available online, so make sure you take advantage!
Be social:
Before you get to university, you will want to get to know the people that you’re going to be living with, or the ones that you’re going to be working alongside, you might even be lucky enough to find a Facebook group of people on the exact same course as you, or just simply use the search functions on sites like Twitter and Facebook to see if anyone else is sharing their excitement of starting university in the same place as you. Alternatively, you can find the social networks for any student societies that you’re interested in, and you can join in the conversation.
Look into the potential of employment:
A good thing to do when at university is to look into the possibility of getting a job, whilst you’re at university too. Because not only will this mean that you have some work experience on your CV, it will also mean that you have an additional source of income to keep you going whilst you’re at university too. This can be particularly useful for you because (As listed above) if you’re budgeting, you can now increase it ever so slightly each week, you can then add it to the savings or you can even go some way towards getting your student loan paid off as well. A job can also be a fantastic way of mixing things up in your personal life too, if you are doing too much revision then you’ve now got a way of being able to keep yourself sane too!
You’re not the only one going through this:
Although it can be difficult, try to remember that your fellow classmates are also in the same boat as you and going through the same thing. It is very important for you to remember that not only is it crucial for you to know that you are not alone in the world of university, it’s also important that you realise that all of your fellow students are aware that you’re all feeling the same things too. Remember that you’re at university to do something more with your life and to hopefully gain some perspective and hopefully get the job of your dreams at the end of it; the most important piece of advice that we can possibly offer is that you should have fun, this could be the very best three years of your life and if you ever need help, you can always ask your lecturers or you can even look online, help is always available to those who ask for it
