10 tips for surviving Uni

Okay so going to University can be one of the best experiences in your life or one of the worst. For me, it’s been kind of in the middle; I absolutely hated living in halls of residence and I also decided that living with other people just was not for me. (I’m a loner and that’s fine!) Nevertheless I love the independence and even though I can’t wait to leave Sheffield (after nearly three years of it, I’m already bored of it!) it’s great to explore a new city and each time you move house, you have to explore a new local area.

However if you are going into your first year at University there are some definite recommendations from me to you.

1.)    Buy earplugs.

This doesn’t matter if you are a party animal or a stay-in-your-room watching Netflix kind of person. Joint accommodation will get noisy! At some point, you will be trying to sleep and when people are pre-drinking and eventually come back to the flat/house absolutely mortal, you will be woken up by every loud scream, every door slamming, every loud laugh and music being blasted out. You will want to cry due to lack of sleep and lack of consideration and you will start to think of ways to physically injure your flat/house mates… Ahem.

2.)    Bulk buy super noodles

Need I say anymore…? Basically, whether you’re hung-over, tired, or late back from lectures, you will crave crappy food with a strong flavour in the form of Super Noodles. Mmm.

3.)    Extension cords

Whether plug extension cords, HDMI leads or an Ethernet cable so you don’t have to leave your bed during freshers (and for the rest of the year)!

4.)    Paracetemol

Freshers Flu. Need I say more?

5.)    Don’t increase your overdraft

Without going into great detail, I have fallen “victim” to the simplicity of being able to continue increasing your student overdraft whenever you want. If you go more than £100 into your overdraft, it is more than likely that you won’t be able to get out of that again. It may not sound a lot but trust me it will keep adding up if you just keep spending £30 here and there. Stick to your loan and you’ll be fine. Save your overdrafts for emergencies!

6.)    Joining a club or society

I would really recommend this, but wait until you have your timetable and can see where you can fit things in. Don’t just go and sign up for everything in your first week; find a handful of things you enjoy or something new you’ve never tried before and take it from there. There are opportunities all year round to there’s no need to panic.

7.)    Talk to everyone

Sounds a little weird, but basically it’s the only way you’re going to make your friends at Uni. During your induction week, you will meet people on your course and people in your flats. You may grow to love these people or you may grow to hate these people… There’s only one way to find out! Course friends are also useful as they may be able to help you when you get completely lost in the middle of the enormous University Campus instead of sending up a flare to be rescued…

8.)    It’s okay to get homesick

Some people leave home and pretty much never return, some go back every weekend, some just call every week. Everyone is different so don’t judge them for their choices and certainly don’t judge them if they start to get homesick. Moving out is a big deal so just comfort people when they need it and don’t be a dick!

9.)    Don’t leave all your work until the night before

Again, I can vouch that this is a bad idea; in my first year I left all my assignments until the night before. One time I even left two pieces until the night before so ended up working until quarter past 3 when the work was due in at 3:30pm. For most Universities, first year does not count towards your final degree but you do still need to make sure you pass, so make sure to keep track of assignment deadlines.

10.)    Finally, have fun!

 Sure you have to work hard and take your degree seriously but you deserve the odd night off and the occasional lie in! Just enjoy Uni; you’ll never get the chance to be a student again so get on with it!

The Flawed Blonde. xoxo