Hello Dolls!
Some of you will be starting university soon and are probably worrying about moving away or not moving away, making friends and starting the term. I am now starting my third year and thought I would write a post aimed at students with tips for the new student life at university.
1) If you are moving away then familiarise yourself with the area you will be living in. If you're university organises trips to the city centre or around the area then sign up for them! This is the best way to get to know your new home. Find out where bus stops are, where the train stations are etc. Make sure you have google maps or something similar on your phone for anytime you get lost. Trust me you'll need them!
2) Find out if there is a taxi service linked with your uni as some of these will offer discounted taxi fares (especially groups).
3) You might be worried about making friends and the best way to make friends is be yourself and just chat to people.A simple smile and hello can go a long way. Sign up to clubs and societies as another way to make new friends.The clubs and societies also look really good on your CV.
4) If you're living at home and think that you won't make as many friends as those living on campus you're wrong! You can make just about the same amount of friends and even more by the methods mentioned in 3. Also look into transport passes for discounted travel to uni.
5) Do not pack an iron,toaster, kettle, microwave, cooker...basically don't take your whole kitchen with you. Contact your residence officer to find out what they have and what you will need to take.
6) If you are going to miss your mother's cooking then it is possible to take some cooked food with you and freeze it. In my first year my mum supplied me frozen curries ha!
7) Locate the nearest food stores to your accommodation where you can shop. Places best to shop at on a student budget include Aldi and Lidl. Trust me, their products are the same and sometimes even better...AND CHEAPER! If you wish to have groceries delivered then order together as a flat and split the delivery cost between you.
8) Get the 16-25 railcard and a national express coach card for journeys back and forth from home to uni.
9) Learn to budget. Money runs out fast when you are a student as you are pretty much limited. Keep receipts and think before you buy. Search for a part time job to help finances. Your student union may have a special careers section where they may help with jobs.
10) Attend all lectures.Trust me on this one.When you don't attend lectures, you have to spend more time catching up and when it comes to exams instead of revising..you'll end up learning material for the first time.
11) Familiarise yourself with the library and Student Union. If you need to buy textbooks, first check them out in the library. If they have enough,you may not need to buy one. Also do not waste money on a textbook if you won't touch it. If you decide to buy any, check out the union bookshops, amazon, ebay and even see if students in the year above are selling any. The student union may have many services you may require or just use it as a place to chill.
12) Apply for NUS card!!! If your uni, like Aston, doesn't support NUS card then you can still get discount in most places just by showing your uni card.
13) Take ID and necessary documents for enrolment. If there are students waiting with you, chat to them and make friends.
14) If you are out at night, stay in a group or with at least one other friend. Also make sure someone is aware that you are going somewhere. Learn emergency numbers for around the city and also campus security.
Finally, enjoy this new chapter in your life and at the same time learn and become an adult! Uni time is the best time, trust me! If you wish to ask me any questions regarding university in general or if you go to Aston Uni (where I attend) then feel free to comment any questions and I will reply ASAP.
Until next time,
Anastasia xo
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