Disclaimer: These tips may be specifically for University away from home.
1. First impressions are everything. This is my most important tip, which is why it's placed at no.1. University is a fresh start for you. For many, including myself, I was dying to get away from school, from college and pretty much my entire life. The thought of making new friends is exciting but you have to remember to be yourself. You're going to have to spend at least 3 years with these people, that's far too long to keep up pretences! Remember- the best people you can have around you are the ones that like you for who you are.
2. Make an effort! I can't tell you how important it is to get yourself out there ASAP when it comes to university. First of all, you need to appear approachable to your flatmates/ house mates and try to start a conversation as soon as you meet them. Once you've appeared a certain way, it's difficult to rectify that. Accept offers to hang out/ go to parties and try to include them in your plans too. I know loads of people that didn't get on with the people they were living with. For some cases, this might simply be a case of personality clash but in others, there was not enough initial effort made.
3. Make a food list and stick to a budget. I found that shopping for two weeks instead of one worked out much better. I had about a £30-40 weekly budget and I always made sure I wrote a list. I found it helpful to look at recipes online/ in books and then buy according to that. I also kept around £5 to restock on any vegetables during the second week as their shelf lives aren't long enough to last the two weeks.
4. Trust your instincts. For me, I really wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay at home or not (in Plymouth). I had an interview at the college I went to previously for two years and I knew instantly, as soon as I walked into the room that I didn't want to be there. So, that ruled out the only university in my home town that I could study Fashion in. I applied for Falmouth, Bournemouth, Rochester and Bath Spa too so I went to a further 3 interviews. I liked Falmouth, hated Bath Spa and adored Bournemouth.
The whole feel of the place was just so chilled and artsy. There was live music playing, it was sunny and there was a certain buzz to the place. I didn't get to look round the town much but I looked at pictures on the internet and fell in love with what I saw. Bournemouth was 100% the best place for me and genuinely the best decision I've ever made. For me, it was partly luck but I strongly suggest that you do a lot of investigating when it comes to chosing where you're going to spend the next 3 years.
5. Don't let the stress get to you. Obviously, first year at uni is a big deal. However, I can't tell you how many times other people have told me 'first year doesn't count'. You tend to find the general feel of first year, is that as long as you pass, it doesn't matter too much. This is all good and well when you get grades back that you aren't particularly happy with but I spent my first term playing harder than I was working and was not happy with the results I received.
First year for me, was a test to see where the boundaries are, a chance for me to trial and error how hard I needed to work in order to get each grade boundary. I soon realised that I needed to work a lot harder than I was in order to get a grade I would be happy with. So, I'd say the best thing you can do is find a balance. It's first year, have fun, make friends but work hard too.
I hope you enjoyed my top tips for Univeristy!
Until next time,
Jade x
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