On the 15th of September this year, I graduated Canterbury Christ Church University with a 2.1. degree in English Language and Communication. I can no longer identify myself as a 'student'; I am now a 'graduate.'
When I started uni in 2012, I was nervous.as.hell. I'd never been through anything like it before, and to make matters even scarier neither had my parents or in fact nearly anyone I knew. I'm sure there were blog posts around at the time encouraging freshers in this new experience, but now I'm a blogger myself and recently graduated, I figured another collection of handy tips couldn't hurt for those of you who have just started this amazing, valuable three or four years of your life.
1. Don't get along with your housemates? Don't worry!
Moving into halls is always daunting as you most likely haven't met any of your housemates, at least away from Facebook groups that are often handily set up beforehand. When I initially met my four housemates we got along fine and I spent my first night of uni at the student union with them watching an awful Katy Perry tribute act. It was fun, and I got to know them all over the next few days, but I quickly realised I had little in common with any of them. This is not a rare occurrence and unfortunately you may not gel with the people you've been randomly lumped with. Over time this can change for the better, but remember you can make friends with people besides whom you live with/near. In my case I became friends with a couple of girls on my course, who then introduced me to their friends and so on; I ended up moving in with one of said girls and her housemates for second year. You'll also find yourself making friends elsewhere, such as in societies, or just out and about.
2. Remember your next student loan installment is a while away yet.
This piece of advice I unfortunately did not follow very well throughout my three years at uni, but if I could start again I'd do things a lot differently money wise. When that first loan installment comes in, it's extremely tempting to hit the shops and take advantage of that student shopping night a lot of unis sneakily organise. Other outlets such as takeaways and nights out are also tempting, but just remember student loan/grant installments are quite spaced out; even if they seem like a lot of money to begin with, towards the end of term you may find yourself living on noodles and biscuits if you're not careful. There's nothing worse than your housemate inviting you on a night out and you having to decline because you've maxed out your overdraft. Try to budget on aspects such as food shopping (Aldi is a savior if you're lucky enough to live near one) and maybe only buy a couple of clothing items a term if you can help it. Oh, and a part time job is always handy if you can find one (myself never finding one is another personal regret.)
3. Try not to go home that often if you can help it.
If you live near home, going back and visiting family and friends is always enticing, but remember your uni experience is valuable and you may miss out if you're away for too long, whether that's to do with your education or social life. In order to really immerse yourself in uni culture and make it a lot easier for you, becoming more independent and familiarising yourself with a new place is key and it'll help you grow up and give you experience in living on your own and also with new people.
4. Go to freshers week every year. It gets worse, but please go anyway.
Your first freshers week will hopefully be an exciting and enjoyable affair (although don't worry if that's not your thing!), but the question is, do you return and do it all again the year after? YES is my final answer. You may find that your second round of freshers week will make you feel a little old, angry, sad or indeed a combination of all three but I promise you'll regret it if you don't grab the chance to get all those drink discounts in Wetherspoons or free stationary at the freshers fair. Also, returning gives you a wonderful sense of independence and belonging.
5. Get to know people on your course early on.
Even if it's just a couple of people; unless you switch courses at some point you're going to be spending three or four years with your classmates, so make sure to talk to people early on and make friends with those you feel comfortable with. I made friends with a classmate pretty quickly who eventually became my closest friend on my course and I'd like to think massively helped me in achieving the grade I graduated with due to her encouragement and savvy. If you find people you actually enjoy spending time with, then doing things like going to the library at stupid times of the night won't seem so tedious if you're doing it with them.
6. Don't leave everything until the last minute.
Obviously this is never a smart option, and though there are always going to be a few assignments you finish the night before their due date, make sure you're balancing everything correctly. I saw countless people screw themselves over in a particular module or even their whole course because they left everything to the last minute and in the end deemed it useless to actually get anything done at all. As soon as an assignment is set, immediately start to think about what you're going to focus on, even if it's just a few ideas.
I could advise on many more aspects of uni life but this post is already pretty lengthy! Just remember that even though it sounds immensely cliche, everyone is in the same boat; no one figures out uni life straight away and the more you experience it, the more comfortable you'll feel and the more fun you'll have.
This piece of advice I unfortunately did not follow very well throughout my three years at uni, but if I could start again I'd do things a lot differently money wise. When that first loan installment comes in, it's extremely tempting to hit the shops and take advantage of that student shopping night a lot of unis sneakily organise. Other outlets such as takeaways and nights out are also tempting, but just remember student loan/grant installments are quite spaced out; even if they seem like a lot of money to begin with, towards the end of term you may find yourself living on noodles and biscuits if you're not careful. There's nothing worse than your housemate inviting you on a night out and you having to decline because you've maxed out your overdraft. Try to budget on aspects such as food shopping (Aldi is a savior if you're lucky enough to live near one) and maybe only buy a couple of clothing items a term if you can help it. Oh, and a part time job is always handy if you can find one (myself never finding one is another personal regret.)
3. Try not to go home that often if you can help it.
If you live near home, going back and visiting family and friends is always enticing, but remember your uni experience is valuable and you may miss out if you're away for too long, whether that's to do with your education or social life. In order to really immerse yourself in uni culture and make it a lot easier for you, becoming more independent and familiarising yourself with a new place is key and it'll help you grow up and give you experience in living on your own and also with new people.
4. Go to freshers week every year. It gets worse, but please go anyway.
Your first freshers week will hopefully be an exciting and enjoyable affair (although don't worry if that's not your thing!), but the question is, do you return and do it all again the year after? YES is my final answer. You may find that your second round of freshers week will make you feel a little old, angry, sad or indeed a combination of all three but I promise you'll regret it if you don't grab the chance to get all those drink discounts in Wetherspoons or free stationary at the freshers fair. Also, returning gives you a wonderful sense of independence and belonging.
5. Get to know people on your course early on.
Even if it's just a couple of people; unless you switch courses at some point you're going to be spending three or four years with your classmates, so make sure to talk to people early on and make friends with those you feel comfortable with. I made friends with a classmate pretty quickly who eventually became my closest friend on my course and I'd like to think massively helped me in achieving the grade I graduated with due to her encouragement and savvy. If you find people you actually enjoy spending time with, then doing things like going to the library at stupid times of the night won't seem so tedious if you're doing it with them.
6. Don't leave everything until the last minute.
Obviously this is never a smart option, and though there are always going to be a few assignments you finish the night before their due date, make sure you're balancing everything correctly. I saw countless people screw themselves over in a particular module or even their whole course because they left everything to the last minute and in the end deemed it useless to actually get anything done at all. As soon as an assignment is set, immediately start to think about what you're going to focus on, even if it's just a few ideas.
I could advise on many more aspects of uni life but this post is already pretty lengthy! Just remember that even though it sounds immensely cliche, everyone is in the same boat; no one figures out uni life straight away and the more you experience it, the more comfortable you'll feel and the more fun you'll have.
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