How-To Uni

Hi everyone!

Summer is basically over now for everyone in school or college, and for everyone going to/already at uni, this is the last week or so before you move out. I for one am really excited for all of my friends to come back because I haven't seen them for what feels like forever! I have loved my summer with the 'stuck in Bath' crew, but I think I speak for us all when I say the start of term is going to be good. My best friend is going off to start her degree and I am so so proud of her because she's managed to get in to her top choice for the course she loves (and also because she'll be in Cambridge and we can go punting there!) It inspired me to write this post on how to uni, because I have seen so many posts that are either waaaay too unrealistic or just not helpful unless mummy and daddy are paying for everything and you live in a mansion. So this is the basic how-to uni for everyone who's still a tad confused, hope it helps!

University is about lots of things, getting drunk in your local pub is defo one of them

1. Attend freshers events

We didn't really do much of freshers week as a flat, because we decided to throw a couple of parties to get to know people living where we were (we lived off campus but still in halls) and I regretted not doing fresher-based stuff. The fresher's fayre is good because you get loads of free stuff (we got bags of shopping for free and vouchers and free pizza, so go check it out!) However, if you don't fancy going to a foam party in a grotty club then check out if there's any parties or gatherings where you can meet people - the people you meet in freshers may well determine your friendship groups in university

2. Get a student bank account

I thought this went without saying, but it was alarming how many people didn't set up a student bank account before moving away, and they soon found themselves with little money and without the luxury of an interest-free student overdraft. This is a must, especially when it comes to budgeting, surprise rent instalments that your loans just won't cover and wanting to go on a night out and ensuring you get that Domino's you need at 3am. It takes five minutes to set up at you bank and all you need to bring is the UCAS letter of acceptance - do it and you won't regret it or find yourself in as much financial trouble

3. Make effort with housemates/flatmates

I don't mean go out of your way to buy them all their favourite things or suck up to them, it's just important to get acquainted and friendly with your neighbours (if possible) to ensure the year isn't filled with arguments and awkward incidents. I kept myself to myself for the first few days, mainly because I felt very overwhelmed and wanted to make my room look as nice as possible. I didn't make that much effort until a couple of weeks later, and if I had done it sooner I would have found my friends a lot sooner and felt far less lonely. I made friends through baking, music, hobbies, my course, people I met, people who lived nearby and the people who were nice where I worked (I worked at a little shop which I won't name a two minute walk from our halls) and it was great. I had no issues with four of my flatmates, one just annoyed everyone, but you can't love everyone. Make the effort and they'll (probably) make it back and you'll have some friends for life like I do

4. Finding a job

If you know you can't actually afford uni with the loans and/or bursaries you've managed to get, it may be worth looking for a small part-time job to help keep the cash coming in so you can stop eating baked beans on toast all year round! I was lucky to get a job very near to where I lived, but if you can get a transfer this is ideal as your employer will already know you and your hours etc. If not, look around shop windows and websites to see if there's any good jobs going with student-friendly hours available. My university have a JobShop, I think quite a few do, and they are usually very good at helping people find jobs. Extra cash is great, but always make sure you can do the hours around your timetable and independent study, and remember to allocate time to go out and socialise!

5. Budgeting

I know I'm going to sound just like your parents here, but budgeting is really important. You don't have to plan everything two weeks in advance and constantly buy the same things, but factor in rent and/or bills first, and use the money left over every week (or month, I found monthly was far easier for me) and divvy it up between food, going out, travel and so on. This will just help you realise the importance of money, and that sometimes instead of spending £25 on a top maybe you should consider that can do a week's shop and get you a bottle of wine for pre-drinks. I did my food shops for £15 a week including alcohol when I didn't have a job, and I never went hungry, so it can be done! (always look at the reduced to clear section, if you were going to eat it today anyways then why not get it cheaper?)

6. Food Shopping

Never go shopping when you are hungry or hungover. Never. You will buy junk food or food you want in that moment in time. This will cost you so much more and will not last you the week. Always go with a list and after you've eaten something recently, even if you don't stick to the list completely (who does?) it's nice to have a reminder of what you need for the meals you want to make for the next few days! Meal planning is always good too, because you can buy the ingredients for those meals and then change it up for the following week. I found whenever I went with Trey, if I couldn't decide what to get out of two items he's say "get both" or "treat yo' self" (Parks and Rec is incredible ok) and I would spend sometimes £40, not a student friendly figure for a food shop.If you can get to Lidl or Aldi then please do, if not, consider food shops online, as that way you can't just pick up those chocolate eclairs or that extra tube of pringles

7. Transport

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Arranging transport around the city or town where you're going to be living for the next three years or so is going to be very important. Familiarise yourself with the best ways to travel around, consider buying either a national express coach card or a student railcard (Santander give away a railcard with their student bank deal, and Natwest give a coach card with theirs) so you can go home if you want to at a reduced cost. Bath is a city that relies on the buses for transport, something which I was not used to back home because we had train stops every 2 minutes which were cheaper than buses. I can't really imagine Bath without my bus pass, it's so hill-y and the university is over an hour's walk away from where I live. Make sure you know the bus stops and such to get to uni and to town - you'll need these for nights out and SU events

8. Lectures

It may be tempting to go out the night before a 9am and not bother to show up, but you're paying £9,000 a year for uni and you really should make the most of the lectures and all the knowledge that comes with them. Some of them will just be rubbish though, so if you're gonna miss any then first year is the year to miss them. We had lectures that were so pointless I really questioned if getting up at 8am to get there for them were even worth it for a lecturer that I couldn't understand because she spoke so fast I couldn't make out words. They are important and if you miss them, seminars will be very tricky as they do help you understand what the heck is going on at times, something that doesn't happen very often at university. You can try and justify missing lectures to yourself, but it would be best to actually go, you'll wish you did when you've got a huge assignment or essay based on ideas discussed in one you never went to

9. Drinking and nights out

You don't have to go out every night and make your liver fight death on the daily, but don't feel as though you can't go out if you want to. Lots of people worry that they won't be able to make friends to go out with, and other fear they'll end up buying drinks for everyone the whole night. Don't be the person that gets absolutely bladdered every night, you won't be very popular with your friends, people around you, the bouncers or the taxi driver who has to take you home when you can't stand up (do not throw up in the taxi, you will get charged and they will hate you, probably forever) this person is not a fun person. There is no shame in being a lightweight either, but if you are and you go out, make sure you have a buddy system and make sure you know you can go home if you need to. As a 'featherweight champion' (10000 indie points if you get the reference) I can have a good night for about £10, but if you aren't cheap to get pissed (eyyy references everywhere) then consider pre-drinking with friends before a night out, far cheaper and often a lot more fun than just hitting up Spoons or getting wankered in the club at £3 a pint (what a rip off man). There is no shame in not drinking also, you are not boring, and you'll have more money to buy nice food and to go to concerts or the cinema or theatre, the options are endless. Do what makes you happy, now down it you filthy fresher!

10. Having fun

This is the most important thing to do, if you aren't enjoying the whole university experience then you should probably talk to someone about it. I had a really hard time fitting in when I first got to uni, but now I have amazing friendship groups that I love dearly, a boyfriend that loves tea as much as I do and I'm loving my course more and more every day. Most universities have very good student support systems or nightlines that you can get in contact with. It is completely okay to get homesick and to miss your friends and family (and your pets, I miss my dog everyday!) University is scary and exciting and a massive change to the normal home life many of us have become accustomed to over the years, but it is brilliant

I hope this has been helpful, just writing this has brought back so many happy memories for me from my freshers experience.

(Buy toilet roll. Even if you have some already buy more, you will go to do a number two and be out. You can never have enough.)

It's been real,

B x