The time is coming around again, a lot of you sixth form/college leavers will be getting your results soon and getting your university confirmations with a new exciting adventure ahead of you. It is such a thrilling experience prepping your stuff and purchasing things to add to your new university home. I definitely overspend in terms of decorations, but after all you are the only one living there so why not make it your own?!
Moving in will be the most daunting thing, leaving your parents and starting life on your own… it will be scary and there will be many tears – i’m not going to sugar coat it to be honest! Figuring out what to do with yourself was my main issue, but if you’re living in halls, there will be many others that are in the same situation as you. Go and talk to them, make friends, share childhood stories and teach each other things… I remember my flatmate and I went and did our first clothes wash together because neither of us had ever washed before!
You are now free, go and explore new places and have a good laugh because once your lectures start you will have a lot less time to do so. Familiarise yourself with where the ‘locals’ are, where to get food that the best value for your money, where are the nearest and good take away places because I can assure you, you won’t want to cook everyday!
If you feel you’re missing your family, Skype works a treat! I can think of the countless times I used Skype when I felt down or just wanted to chat to my parents – you feel like you’re actually next to them which is a great feeling.
Save your money… Having a student loan come through is the best thing and you feel like you are new money, but if you do not spend it wisely and budget that ‘new money’ will turn into no money. By all means, go out, dine, wine and shop but just keep a watchful eye over your bank balances.
Make friends with people on your course, there is nothing better than having a couple sets of friends, after all your flatmates will be different to your course mates and you will be very thankful for it afterwards. Having a change of faces does a world of good. Once you have got a close social group together, make a Whatsapp group so you can all keep in contact, help each other with university work and also share those cheeky comments about your lecturers during lectures 😉
‘Work hard, play hard’, that was my motto and it definitely worked. You have to make a significant amount of time for study time to ensure that you keep on top of all your university work and meet deadlines, but once that is all done there is nothing stopping you from having a good night out and having some well deserved drinks! After all, you are there to pass your exams and get a degree but you have to live the university life too.
Learn from your mistakes. It is only human to make mistakes and do things you regret, but make sure you take on an active role as an adult and not make the same mistakes again – keep them in the past and think positively about what you could do to prevent it next time or do things differently.
Keep a good relationship with your flatmates, you look after them and they will look after you too. I can definitely say that I have had some amazing times just sitting in eating dinner together as a flat, cooking thanksgiving dinner together, having very odd and weird conversations into early hours of the morning and going on little outings together – keeps it fun and fresh. They are practically your family for the year, so treat them like it and you will have a brilliant time together.
I know there is a lot to soak in here, but I can promise you, all will be fine. If I can do it, you all can definitely do it too! Main things are to work hard, enjoy yourself and make it an experience that you will never forget.
Thanks for reading,
