So, you decided to go to uni. Mum and dad drop you off at halls with your uni hoody, a beanie hat and a shiny new laptop, and drive away leaving you to enjoy your new-found independence.
Alone in your box room you start to miss the creature comforts of family life and wonder how you will ever survive in the big bad world alone. For many, this is the first time away from home. The closest you’ve come to cooking is tipping some beans onto burnt toast, and until now, dirty washing has just magically disappeared from you bedroom floor and reappeared in clean piles.
But before you start wasting all of your money on eating out and dying white clothes pink, it is best to prepare for the student life.
First of all, make sure you go to freshers week. Not only will you get tons of freebies, including takeaway vouchers that are worth their weight in gold, you also get to check out what sort of clubs and societies your university offers. Brimming social life – check.
Join the student gym. It is inevitable that you will gain a few pounds in your first year of uni. Takeaways and alcohol will quickly become your staple diet- resistance is futile. Try and keep the balance a bit by joining the uni gym. Not only will it be a cheap membership, it is also a great place to socialise and make friends with other freshers struggling to shift their new found beer gut. Reasonable body – check.
If you have any decent food, don’t keep it in the fridge. Students are renowned for stealing food – cheese in particular is like gold dust. If you can afford it, get a mini fridge for your room, if not, eat all goodies in one go. Sustenance – check.
Always cheat in drinking games. You don’t want to be the sloshed one who humiliates him/herself on the first night and is avoided forever after! Dignity – check.
Make sure you know the area. You don’t want to be wandering into smack city in your campus hoody, iPhone in hand. Not to sound too scary, but students are an easy target for thieves and crime. Make sure you stay on your guard, don’t stray into undesirable places and avoid going out alone at night if you can. Safety – check.
And when you’re thrust from the comforts of university provided student accommodation, make sure you get looking early enough for your shared house in second year. There is a wealth of letting agencies that cater to students for a wide variety of budgets, locations and sizes. Perhaps living with eight of your mates sounds like a dream, perhaps not. To get a better idea of what’s out there on the market for you, visit http://www.yetholmproperties.co.uk. Cosy second year student digs – check!
