- Make sure you go to all of your introductory lectures and talks. These are designed to make your transition to university as easy as possible.
- Keep yourself occupied. If you have too much time to yourself, you'll start thinking about what you've left behind and homesickness could creep up on you before you know it.
- Talk to anyone and everyone. This takes a certain amount of courage but you never know what someone is like until you talk to them. I met my best mate on the first day of university by turning around before a lecture started and introducing myself. It's almost like buying a pair of shoes - you never know what suits you perfectly until you have tried loads on.
- Don't get completely wasted. While the temptation to get slaughtered in your first week away from home is there, your reputation as the one who vomited everywhere on the second night will stick.
- Get involved. There will be a whole load of clubs and societies who are itching for freshers to sign up. Have a look around, see what takes your fancy and try something new.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. Everyone was a fresher once. If you're lost, stop and ask someone. If you don't know what to do, someone else will.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Lesson 2: Surviving your first week
Your first week at university is one of the most crucial weeks at university. It can be a very daunting prospect; you'll be living with people you don't know, cooking for yourself, getting yourself up and motivated for the day. DO NOT PANIC! Everyone else is in the same situation as you. Some people might seem like they're the most confident people in the world but deep down, they're almost definitely as worried as you are.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Lesson 1: Moolah/wonga/quidsies.
So, you've probably heard the stories of students eating cold beans out of a can because they can't afford anything else, but rest assured, it doesn't have to be that way!
First up, look at your spending habits. If you're spending levels are pretty high, you need to accept that you're habits are going to need to change. If you're sensible with your money before uni, chances are you're going to stay that way when you get there,
Second, make sure you fill out your student finance forms in plenty of time. That way, you'll know what you're going to get and when so you can start working out how much money you're going to have.
Third, get yourself a good student bank account. There are loads of deals around, so have a look at what different banks offer. Consider if you are going to need an overdraft. Some people do, some people manage just fine without them. You're going to need at least an hour to set everything up, so put aside some time to go and sort it out with a parent. You might want to check what you need before you go such as identification, confirmation of your place and so on.
It's a good idea to have some money put aside in a separate account for your first week of term, just in case your loan isn't paid on time. The student loans company are notoriously unreliable and your first week of term can be pretty costly what with fees for joining clubs and societies, tickets to fresher events and your first "big supermarket shop".
When you get to university, just be sensible. There's no excuse for spending your whole loan in the first couple of weeks. Your bank won't have any sympathy and neither will your parents!
When it comes to your necessary purchases, such as food, there are a few ways to cut corners that you might want to consider. Value baked beans taste just as good as the top quality ones. You can freeze bread!!! If there's 2 for £2, you can actually freeze a loaf! I was amazed by this fact as a fresher and it turns out you can freeze other stuff too, even meat!!! Meat can be quite pricey though, but bananas = pretty cheap!
As a student, you'll find a world of discounts and deals on your doorstep. Take advantage of them while you're still a student, you'll miss them when you're not! There's no shame in asking anyone and everyone if they do student discount, you might be surprised just how much you can get for your pennies.
Questions about finance? Don't be afraid to post a comment!
First up, look at your spending habits. If you're spending levels are pretty high, you need to accept that you're habits are going to need to change. If you're sensible with your money before uni, chances are you're going to stay that way when you get there,
Second, make sure you fill out your student finance forms in plenty of time. That way, you'll know what you're going to get and when so you can start working out how much money you're going to have.
Third, get yourself a good student bank account. There are loads of deals around, so have a look at what different banks offer. Consider if you are going to need an overdraft. Some people do, some people manage just fine without them. You're going to need at least an hour to set everything up, so put aside some time to go and sort it out with a parent. You might want to check what you need before you go such as identification, confirmation of your place and so on.
It's a good idea to have some money put aside in a separate account for your first week of term, just in case your loan isn't paid on time. The student loans company are notoriously unreliable and your first week of term can be pretty costly what with fees for joining clubs and societies, tickets to fresher events and your first "big supermarket shop".
When you get to university, just be sensible. There's no excuse for spending your whole loan in the first couple of weeks. Your bank won't have any sympathy and neither will your parents!
When it comes to your necessary purchases, such as food, there are a few ways to cut corners that you might want to consider. Value baked beans taste just as good as the top quality ones. You can freeze bread!!! If there's 2 for £2, you can actually freeze a loaf! I was amazed by this fact as a fresher and it turns out you can freeze other stuff too, even meat!!! Meat can be quite pricey though, but bananas = pretty cheap!
As a student, you'll find a world of discounts and deals on your doorstep. Take advantage of them while you're still a student, you'll miss them when you're not! There's no shame in asking anyone and everyone if they do student discount, you might be surprised just how much you can get for your pennies.
Questions about finance? Don't be afraid to post a comment!
Friday, 27 August 2010
Where it all begins
So, as I approach my final year of university, I've created a blog to see me through my final year and into my job search.
I decided to start the blog as a result of doing work experience at the Guardian Comment is Free. While there (I say there, I'm actually typing this in the Guardian offices) I discovered a whole realm of information through blogs. I must confess that I have always thought of blogs as a tool for the pretentious and the self-indulgent. However, there are so many blogs out there, it's impossible to generalise. Yes, there are some blogs which are somewhat self-indulgent. However, there are also genuinely informative blogs. Fashion blogs, political blogs, green blogs, celebrity blogs....
So, hopefully, this blog can guide me through my last year of university. Ultimately, I think it will be interesting to examine what I find out about job hunting - what should people do, what shouldn't they do etc. If fellow and future students can learn something about life as a student or about the search for a job then I think I'll be pretty chuffed.
I decided to start the blog as a result of doing work experience at the Guardian Comment is Free. While there (I say there, I'm actually typing this in the Guardian offices) I discovered a whole realm of information through blogs. I must confess that I have always thought of blogs as a tool for the pretentious and the self-indulgent. However, there are so many blogs out there, it's impossible to generalise. Yes, there are some blogs which are somewhat self-indulgent. However, there are also genuinely informative blogs. Fashion blogs, political blogs, green blogs, celebrity blogs....
So, hopefully, this blog can guide me through my last year of university. Ultimately, I think it will be interesting to examine what I find out about job hunting - what should people do, what shouldn't they do etc. If fellow and future students can learn something about life as a student or about the search for a job then I think I'll be pretty chuffed.
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